In his column at the Wall Street Journal Walter Russell Mead summarizes why the Europeans hate Trump:
Mr. Trump doesn’t believe the future will be one of interdependent, postnationalist states engaged in win-win trade. He doesn’t believe military power will become less relevant as progress marches on. He doesn’t think international law and international institutions can, should or will dominate international life. Individual nation-states will remain, in Mr. Trump’s view, the dominant geopolitical force.
Mr. Trump therefore thinks the EU’s political establishment is just as blind and misguided as they believe he is. He thinks Europe is making itself steadily weaker and less relevant in international life, and that Vladimir Putin’s view of the world is almost infinitely more clear-eyed and rational than Angela Merkel’s .
Permanent trade deficits with Germany, France, Italy, and just about every other European country injures U. S. workers and helps U. S. bankers. Needless to say Germany, France, Italy, and just about every other European country like it just fine.
Lots of people in the U. S. think that most of the NATO members spending less than 2% and France spending just over 2% of GDP on their militaries is just not fair to the United States. Needless to say the NATO members think it’s just fine.
🙂
Pretty sure the average European doesn’t think “boy I hate Trump because he wants to ruin our trade surpluses”. I suspect it is just because he is an ass, and they don’t have half of their people committed to the Trump cult so they can say whatever they want.
Steve