A Report from Europe

[Tidewater]

I am back in Belgium (for work) and talking with Europeans daily. Here is what my European colleagues are saying:
1. They are scared that the US is abandoning Europe.
2. They all realize that they are going to have to spend more on defense (which is what I believe Trump was after all along).

3. For the longest time, the EU required member states to not spend above 1.2% of GDP, and that meant tough choices: either keep spending on social safety net stuff or defense and for decades the Europeans have spent less on defense because the Americans would always be there to pick up the slack on defense. Now that assumption appears no longer true, so van der Leyen has removed the 1.2% limit and is planning on spending €800B on defense.
4. Europe has extreme demographic problems (almost as bad a Russia) so finding young people to serve in larger European armies will be tough. (Hungary is one of the few doing okay in that regard). And immigrants won't fill that gap. They will not serve in European armies, at leats not in large enough numbers to fix the problem.
5. Europeans, especially Danes, are really ticked off at Americans for J D Vance's "free speech" talk in Munich, Trump's loose talk about annexing Greenland, and making Canada the 51st state, and wildly swinging tariff policies in the US. In Denmark, there is an app telling you which products are made in the US so buyers can avoid American-made brands.
6. The coverage by news media in Europe in regards to Trump is even less balanced and honest than American news media. Think MSNBC and then dial it up to "11."

 

[JDCrimson]

Im not sure how you responded to your friends, but here are my responses...

I am back in Belgium (for work) and talking with Europeans daily. Here is what my European colleagues are saying:
1. They are scared that the US is abandoning Europe. They should be scared because Trump will follow the money wherever it comes from. Right now it appears the money train is running out of Russia.
2. They all realize that they are going to have to spend more on defense (which is what I believe Trump was after all along). They should and quickly.

3. For the longest time, the EU required member states to not spend above 1.2% of GDP, and that meant tough choices: either keep spending on social safety net stuff or defense and for decades the Europeans have spent less on defense because the Americans would always be there to pick up the slack on defense. Now that assumption appears no longer true, so van der Leyen has removed the 1.2% limit and is planning on spending €800B on defense. They overspent on socialized medicine to the detriment of their military complex as well undermining their own sense of patriotism. They have 2 generations of people who see no need in participating in the military.
4. Europe has extreme demographic problems (almost as bad a Russia) so finding young people to serve in larger European armies will be tough. (Hungary is one of the few doing okay in that regard). And immigrants won't fill that gap. They will not serve in European armies, at leats not in large enough numbers to fix the problem. Maybe you can fix the problem by making service in the military lucrative enough to help people start families and receive higher quality Healthcare. The GI Bill gave our veterans a tremendous head start on civilian life. If you want student debt forgiveness enroll in the military for some years of service.
5. Europeans, especially Danes, are really ticked off at Americans for J D Vance's "free speech" talk in Munich, Trump's loose talk about annexing Greenland, and making Canada the 51st state, and wildly swinging tariff policies in the US. In Denmark, there is an app telling you which products are made in the US so buyers can avoid American-made brands. Hit back and make it hurt.
6. The coverage by news media in Europe in regards to Trump is even less balanced and honest than American news media. Think MSNBC and then dial it up to "11." How else do you cover a boorish moron who is more interested settling childish playground stuff? Until Trump actually does something that makes sense then rock on.

 

[Tidewater]

I try to be diplomatic since I am not a government spokesman. But Europe is acting a little like the welfare queen who gets told the checks are about to stop:
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Well, I guess you are going to have to get a job."

As for media coverage, I think a lot of media (in Europe and in the US) focus on what Trump says (and he says some wild stuff) when it is more illustrative to watch what he does.
A couple of examples. "Zelensky is a dictator who refuses to hold elections." If Trump actually felt this, he would cut off all aid and have nothing to do with Ukraine. Instead, enters into negotiations to broker a ceasefire. The "dictator" comment was a pressure tactic to get Zelensky to come to the table (by implying cutting off aid was a real possibility).
"Trump is a Russian puppet," but in 2014 Obama sent only nonlethal aid (medical supplies and commo gear) whereas the Trump Administration sent Javelins, the antitank missile which battered Russia's tank columns. And Joe Biden implied a "minor Russian incursion" into Ukraine would not be a big deal. I would imagine what Zelensky said behind closed doors when he heard Biden's off the cuff comment was not safe for Tidefans.