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Europe Leaders Close Ranks, Find Unity 07/02 06:29
ROME (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on Italy's premier have
had an unintended consequence.
After Trump questioned Italy's reliability as a wartime ally and claimed
Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to
Meloni's side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her hard-right
political roots.
It is the latest example of how the often divisive American president is
helping to draw Europe closer together.
European leaders are finding more reasons to coordinate on defense, tariffs
and foreign policy as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning
trade deficit with China, and threats from Russia. That leaves Trump, who has
often preferred to negotiate with European countries individually, with less
ability to do so, analysts say.
"Most of the mainstream leaders realize that Europe is getting squeezed
between China and America, and so, if not now, then when?" said Sudha
David-Wilp, vice president at the German Marshall Fund. "They need to act as a
bloc in order to maintain Europe's place in the world."
This newfound European unity could be tested next week at a NATO summit in
Turkey.
European leaders rally around Meloni
Meloni's spat with Trump has helped her strengthen ties with European
leaders once wary of her party's post-fascist roots.
A pivotal moment came in March when she wouldn't allow U.S. bombers headed
to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval.
For years before then, France and Germany often kept Meloni outside the
small-group talks that helped shape Europe's response to major foreign policy
crises. That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on
Ukraine, including Meloni's rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to
send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.
But Trump's escalating attacks on Meloni -- who called Trump's criticism of
Pope Leo "unacceptable" -- helped shift the dynamic, prompting European leaders
to rally around her.
After all, they, too, have been on the receiving end of Trump's barbs.
Meloni was firmly in the fold at a late June meeting in Berlin with the
leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Poland. And she met the next day with
French President Emmanuel Macron in southern France -- the first bilateral
summit since the pandemic.
Europe's nationalist parties are adjusting
Even nationalist parties across the continent once aligned with Trump are
recalibrating their stances because his trade policies and war with Iran are
proving unpopular with voters.
In France, far-right leader Jordan Bardella recently blasted U.S. actions as
"foreign interference" and described Trump as "erratic" and "extremely
unsteady." Bardella had previously welcomed Trump's brand of nationalism as a
"wind of freedom."
In Germany, leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party have
criticized the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The co-leader of the party,
Tino Chrupalla, said in March he was "extremely disappointed" with Trump, whom
he had viewed as a politician who would avoid new conflicts.
The changing rhetoric comes as elections approach, putting more focus on
domestic issues.
"This pushes everyone to consider a European horizon more than an
international one," said Lorenzo Castellani, a political analyst and professor
at Rome's LUISS University,
Beyond Europe's biggest powers
These dynamics are playing out beyond the European Union, from the Arctic
Ocean to the Balkans.
When Trump threatened to take Greenland by force, protests erupted in its
capital, Nuuk, and in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Leaders across the
political spectrum bristled at the threatened infringement of European
sovereignty and feared it could shatter the already stressed NATO military
alliance.
In Albania, a luxury development being planned that is linked to Trump's
family business has become a major political issue, drawing protests in June.
The political risks of close alignment with Trump were perhaps most clearly
illustrated in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbn -- long regarded as Trump's
closest ally in the European Union -- was voted out of office in April despite
support from the U.S. president and prominent figures in the MAGA movement.
An analysis by the consultancy Maplecroft suggested that negative
perceptions of the Trump administration may have weighed on Orbn politically.
Meloni's balancing act
Though Meloni remains closely aligned with Trump on issues like immigration
and security, she has long diverged from him on Ukraine. Her steadfast support
for Kyiv made her more palatable for European leaders and has been a key factor
in forging a more united European front toward the U.S.
During their public spat last month, Meloni said her friendship with Trump
came with a heavy political cost.
In her response to his accusation that she had "begged" to be photographed
with him while at the recent G7 summit in France, she wrote on social media:
"As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does
it depend on my relationship with you."
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Trump is deeply unpopular in
Italy. According to the survey, 83% of Italians have no confidence in Trump's
ability to do the right thing regarding foreign affairs. His handling of a
range of issues -- including Iran, tariffs, and U.S. immigration policies --
received a low level of support.
With a national election due by 2027 -- and possibly as early as next spring
-- Meloni faces mounting political pressures, including fallout from the
unpopular Iran war and her former ties to Trump.
Voters across Europe could hold their own politicians accountable for the
actions of an American president beyond their control, said Castellani, the
political analyst.
"At a certain point, when voters see the price of gasoline rising because of
a war perceived as distant, they ask Meloni for the bill, not Trump."
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