While the issues seem to be fading from the White House's priority list, European leaders remain rattled by Donald Trump's most recent "provocations," telling Politico that they feel forced into a "violent approach" to the administration.
Much of the political conversation in the U.S. and abroad last month was dominated by Trump's renewed insistence on annexing Greenland from Denmark. His administration refused to back down on the idea despite Denmark's forceful denials, prompting major fears about the stability of the NATO alliance. Trump ultimately backed down from the idea considerably after a meeting with European officials at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, after which he claimed that a "framework" proposal for a greater U.S. presence in Greenland had been reached.
Speaking with Politico for a report published Tuesday, various "high-level European officials" said that, despite this pullback, the damage had been done to their relations with the U.S., forcing them to adopt a "change of mindset" for the foreseeable future wherein the two sides are more akin to "rivals" than "allies.' Some officials also cited continued instances of disrespect from the White House.
“We’re forced to adopt a violent approach in our relationship with the U.S. administration,” one anonymous official told the outlet. “It has completely changed from the times when there was cooperation between us, now we’re in a power struggle.”
“The message, the lack of respect for Europe, that’s been sent,” another official added in their own statement. “But they just can’t seem to help themselves from sending it again and again.”
Among these continued instances of disrespect was a recent blow-up between the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, and Włodzimierz Czarzasty, speaker of the lower chamber of Poland's parliament, the Sejm. Rose said that the U.S. would cease all contact with the speaker after he publicly said that Trump did not deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Rose characterized those comments as "unprovoked insults."
"Effective immediately, we will have no further dealings, contacts, or communications with Marshal of the Sejm Czarzasty whose outrageous and unprovoked insults directed against President Trump ... has made himself a serious impediment to our excellent relations with Prime Minister [Donald] Tusk and his government," Rose' wrote in a post to X. "We will not permit anyone to harm U.S.–Polish relations, nor disrespect [Trump], who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people."
In response, Polish PM Tusk wrote that, "Allies should respect each other, not lecture each other."
Trump's comments dismissing the sacrifices and service of NATO troops in Afghanistan also struck a nerve among many Europeans, as did the news that ICE agents would be on the ground in Italy doing security work during the Winter Olympics.
“Europeans are going through the 5th stage of grief,” an anonymous French diplomat told Politico. “We now understand the U.S. administration is going to be difficult for the foreseeable future.”