The new bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal revealed that European leaders were so floored by President Donald Trump’s behavior that they held a secret meeting in Brussels to discuss how best to deal with his antics.
In a Sunday report, the Journal described the scramble that unfolded after the first year of Trump’s second term, which resulted in a kind of break-up between the U.S. and European leaders.
Trump’s obsession with Greenland and claims that the U.S. was going to take it over caused a panic across Europe, straining relations between the U.S. and its allies.
Perhaps one of America’s (and the GOP’s) biggest fans was NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, whose father was rescued as a prisoner of war by the Americans. He loved Ronald Reagan and firmly believed that American power would forever serve as the umbrella for a “guarantee of peace on the fractious continent,” the report said.
He bombarded Trump with praise and public support.
“When texting Trump, Rutte would echo the president’s own syntax and hyperbole, keeping his messages congratulatory, with staccato sentences. He immersed himself in the role so thoroughly some heads of government who worked with him began describing him as an actor who never broke character,” the report said.
European leaders believed that Trump appeared more interested in mining and mineral deals than in upholding the legendary post-World War II relationship with Europe.
Leaders from across Europe met secretly, agreeing to leave their cell phones behind. It was described as much a “group therapy” session as a strategy meeting, the report said.
One fact Democrats warned about in 2024 was that Trump’s volatility could destroy international relations. Indeed, French President Emmanuel Macron told the room that there was no “going back” after what Trump had done.
Danish leader Mette Friedrickson appeared so overwhelmed by her battles with Trump that the report said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked, “You ok?”
While the left and the moderates in Europe had never liked Trump, the nationalists were now turning against him as he threatened to seize Europe.
The Journal explained that, in its research, it was “able to review detailed notes taken by some participants as well as classified assessments that European intelligence agencies gave leaders struggling to navigate the new Washington.”
One of those from Southern Europe read: “You are not dealing with an administration that has processes; you are dealing with a single volatile individual.”
Another gathering took place in March where Trump’s war in Iran was now driving up fuel prices for Europe while Russia was profiting off of the conflict. Conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had remained the only supporter of Trump at the January meeting. By March, however, she was done.
Trump, Meloni lamented, “is not reasonable,” the Journal reported.
The two have been fighting online since the G7 summit, in which Trump claimed she “begged” him for a photo. A top Italian official canceled a U.S. visit as a result of the feud.