The White House released a new strategy document, and thereby immediately unleashed a meltdown and freak out in Europe. Why? Well, for one thing, the document prioritizes the Western Hemisphere, then Asia, and then-and only then-Europe. Most provocatively, it puts the onus for protecting Europe on–get this–Europe!: “We want to support our allies in preserving the freedom and security of Europe, while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity.”

The nerve!

Europe’s reaction has given new meaning to the term “schizo.”

Europe is like Schrödinger’s cat, but with rabies. It simultaneously freaks out that the US is abandoning it while screeching "We are Europe, hear us roar."

— streetwiseprof (@streetwiseprof) December 6, 2025

So on the one hand, the US is dismantling the security apparatus that has kept Europe peaceful for 80 years thereby leaving the continent vulnerable to the predatory Russians, but on the other hand, Europe is an economic colossus. Er, shouldn’t economic colossuses be able to defend themselves?

You see, they are so awesome that we need them more than they need us:

If U.S. would kick Europe so badly that trust would be lost, then America has no chance of winning the long term confrontation with China.

Numbers say this: Europe is the second most important trading block for Beijing.

In any global conflict, you need European economic weight…

— Jakub Janda ??? (@_JakubJanda) December 6, 2025

And they’re so sick of us.

I don’t think that Americans quite understand just how sick and tired of their bullshit we Europeans actually are.

— Julien Hoez (@JulienHoez) December 6, 2025

But how dare we leave them to their own devices???

I can assure you that M. Hoez (not hoes!) (he of the .eu email address) definitely does not understand how few fucks Americans give, and are in fact totally on board with curing his sickness by saying hasta la vista, baby!

The threat of which is what set of these tirades. Seriously–reading X posts from Europeans is not recommended, unless you want to get vertigo. How dare you leave! Fine! Go! Good riddance!

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau contributed to the hysteria:

My recent trip to Brussels for the @NATO Ministerial meeting left me with one overriding impression: the US has long failed to address the glaring inconsistency between its relations with NATO and the EU. These are almost all the same countries in both organizations. When these…

— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) December 6, 2025

His post makes clear that the US views Europe as dysfunctional, and that we cannot continue to enable this dysfunction. But addressing the dysfunction would require Europe to change its suicidal economic and environmental and immigration polices, and its anti-democratic, anti-liberty policies.

Alas, these policies are near and dear to the EU ruling class and its apparatchiks, like M. Hoez.

Fine. You have a choice. We’ve made the choice clear. If you want to do things your way, you’re on your own. If you want our assistance, change your ways.

My only criticism of Mr. Landau is he gives NATO too much credit. Their pious proclamations of “Transatlantic unity” are purely self-serving attempts to perpetuate their free riding on the US. It’s insincere. Keeping the grift going.

Europe clearly does not want to change its ways and it wants us to protect it anyways.

Sorry. The Free Ride is over.

This all takes place against the background of Ukraine, where the Trump administration is trying to end the war on less than perfect but more than realistic terms. Clearly, the Europeans (including the British) don’t want the war to end, almost certainly because they want Russia tied down so they don’t have to fight it themselves. So they are continuing the pattern set by Boris Johnson of persuading Zelensky to hold out, pledging their undying support. (Meaning they won’t die, but Ukrainians will).

Starmer, Merz, and Macron (average approval rating around 20 percent) have formed a troika to seduce Zelensky.

That’s an insult. To the Three Stooges.

It is exactly this sort of thing that drives this administration further from Europe. A few days ago Rubio called out Macron et al for almost derailing cease fire talks in Gaza through their meddling, and said that they are having the same effect in Ukraine. Which I believe is exactly their intention.

Meanwhile, it is abundantly clear that the US is squeezing Zelensky hard. When the NYT runs articles highlighting the at most one degree of separation between Zelensky and massive corruption, it is the equivalent of putting a horse’s head in his bed. (And what’s with the NYT these days? First it totally discredits the WaPo’s double tap story. Then it runs a damning story on the Democrats’ and Euro’s pet–whom Trump despises. Usually if Trump goes one way the NYT goes 180 the other direction).

In brief, Europe is far more trouble to the US than it is worth. Yet it insists on our protection and our deferring to them on matters of national security and economic policy.

And the administration is telling them, bluntly, that those days are over. Hence the lamentations and rending of garments from London to the Elbe and beyond.