With Friends Like This…

Sadly, the administration’s appetite for destruction doesn’t stop at the borders. As we’ve already seen, propping up enemies and offending or abandoning allies are core values. In Munich, JD Vance didn’t make a single mention of Ukraine, and instead went full Fox News and berated European leaders as tensions with close allies burst into the open. First his boss surrendered to Putin. Then he surrendered to irony. “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia. It’s not China. It’s not any external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Vance’s performance in the donut shop was better than this. It’s been less than a month and our allies know they can’t trust America. And our closest friends are sickened by our behavior. US anthem booed in Canada before 4 Nations Face-Off win over Finland.

+ WaPo (Gift Article): Vance meets with leader of far-right German party, exports MAGA message.

+ Will European leadership fill the void? “Ukraine remains on ‘an irreversible path‘ towards Nato membership, Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that underlined the divide between Europe and the US over the future of the country…While Starmer’s sentiments are no more than a restatement of the UK’s longstanding position … the decision to speak to Zelenskyy and the strong language used has a fresh resonance after Donald Trump’s interventions this week.”