In Europe, signs of eroding trust of America are everywhere

SHROPSHIRE, England — Each time I spend an extended period of time in Europe, I am astonished at the level of detailed knowledge Europeans have about events in the United States and the current state of our politics.

I shouldn’t be. Newspaper front pages are filled with stories about the latest twists and turns of the reality TV show that is the Trump administration.

Conversations with family and friends here inevitably turn to questions about events in America that seem inexplicable to them. How can American citizens be gunned down in the street by ICE agents and there is no accountability? I have no good answer.

Let there be no mistake, Europeans are angry with the president of the United States and angry with European leaders who bow to him because his vanity and desperate need for praise demand it. They understand the reason, but they still don’t like it.

My English friend is almost anguished at the level of vitriol in the British press against our president that, in his elegant phrase, descends into lavatorial commentary. However, many of the comments by otherwise sober journalists have been much, much harsher. What has happened to the “special relationship?”

Let’s not ignore what has occurred in the past 18 months.

President Trump has threatened to seize Greenland by force

President Trump has threatened to slap high tariffs on Europe at every turn.

President Trump has threatened to pull out of NATO or to not honor America’s Article Five commitments.

President Trump has denigrated Europe and its leaders (Giorgia Meloni has been in the crosshairs lately) over any decision he does not like.

President Trump has started a war against Iran without consulting European allies, damaged their economies, then complained when they don’t come to our aid.

President Trump has inserted himself into European politics in unprecedented ways in support of right-wing xenophobic anti-immigrant political parties — interference we would not accept in America.

The president has even inserted himself into the World Cup in ways that scream “ugly American.”

Each threat has landed here in Europe like a hammer blow. Americans should instinctively understand that no one likes a bully. Yet, they also acknowledge that the last 18 months has taught them that they have leaned on America too long and that they needed to take more responsibility for their own security and themselves.

The president and members of his administration would say “Good … it’s about time.”

If a president with a different philosophy is elected in 2028 and declares “America is back” — as Joe Biden did in 2021 — my sense of things is that wary Europeans will not buy it. The well of trust has nearly run dry.

Things change. The League of Nations begot the United Nations which might be succeeded by a wholly new structure. Our president has put the post-World War II structures under tremendous stress — to be replaced by what, exactly?

Marco Rubio presides over a diminished State Department, having tucked many of his previous beliefs in a drawer, all for the chance at future presidential glory. Where will the architects come from?

Before we tear down, we might consider carefully what might be lost.

I was in England to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday at a formal dinner at a 16th century estate. Her spouse gave heartfelt remarks, but felt compelled to diverge to acknowledge the Americans at the table and our nation’s birthday and to make the plea to remember that allies with so much in common are stronger together.

That elicited responses of “here, here” and accompanied table thumping. It is a sentiment that I hope Americans also instinctively understand.

• Keith Peterson, of Lake Barrington, served 29 years as a press and cultural officer for the United States Information Agency and Department of State. He was chief editorial writer of the Daily Herald 1984-86. His book “American Dreams: The Story of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission” is available from Amazon.com.