Why Would Europeans Believe Trump Now?

Nancy A. Youssef, Isaac Stanley-Becker, and Simon Shuster: “Europe, which for nearly eight decades counted the United States as its military guarantor, just received a lesson in the fickleness of American power.

“Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly canceled the deployment of an armored brigade to what the Pentagon often describes as a ‘model ally,’ Poland. The move caught senior members of the Polish government by surprise. Because European officials were never briefed on the change, they were left to speculate about possible motivations: Perhaps the decision was a product of MAGA’s generalized disdain for Europe. Or maybe it was specific payback for Europe’s failure to help with the Trump administration’s war with Iran.

“The Pentagon’s press office rushed to frame the decision as a carefully calculated modification of America’s force posture in Europe. But that was a harder argument to sell after top Army leaders told Capitol Hill they had learned only days earlier of the decision, which had been made above their heads.

“Regardless, the Pentagon pressed ahead. Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said Thursday on social media that he had met with the Poles to reemphasize ‘our message that the U.S. is driving real burden-sharing for a European-led conventional defense.’

“Minutes later, President Trump reversed the cancellation. He explained his choice not in terms of geopolitical strategy but as stemming from his personal fondness for the country’s right-wing president … 

“The announcement provoked disbelief in Europe: the rapid about-face, the personalized approach to war planning, and the lack of coordination between the president and his own secretary of defense … 

“Current and former U.S. officials told us that America’s unpredictability has consequences that go beyond NATO’s force posture. They said that Moscow will be paying close attention to what changes in the alliance reveal about its cohesion and the political will of its most powerful member. Adding to the whiplash over the Poland deployment, American officials informed their NATO counterparts yesterday that Washington intends to reduce the number of forces it make available to the alliance in the event of a crisis, a move first reported by *Reuters*. A defense official told us that the changes were directed by Hegseth and ‘represent an opportunity for our allies to demonstrate they have heard President Trump’s call for them to step up and take primary responsibility for Europe’s defense.’ But Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, warned us that taking these forces—among the most ready and capable available to the alliance—off the table has the potential to do real damage. ‘They’re cutting into muscle now,’ he told us.”

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We await his obituary. Nothing more.

Almost like the Americans *believed* Europeans when they promised to increase defense spending – decades ago.