🎄 The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: Trump’s Scorn Plunges European Embassies into “Psychosocial Disorientation”
While Christmas parties fill Washington’s Embassy Row, European diplomats are finding their festive cheer replaced by an “icy blast of Trumpian disdain.” The former President’s recent attacks on Europe, calling it a “decaying group of nations led by weak people,” coupled with a hawkish new US National Security Strategy, have left America’s transatlantic allies in a state of crisis, with many fearing the end of the Western Alliance.
Donald Trump, who often projects himself as a benevolent, powerful figure, is this holiday season being widely characterized as “the Grinch who’s stealing Christmas,” not from American children, but from our long-standing international allies.
The chilling atmosphere was palpable at several European embassy Christmas parties across Washington this week. As one observer noted, “It was as if European who’s of Whoville had been watching aghast as the Grinch stole Christmas.”
A Declaration of “Political War”
The current diplomatic deep freeze stems from two main sources: the newly released US National Security Strategy and Donald Trump’s own fiery rhetoric. The Strategy, intended to counter threats to democracy, was interpreted by the European Union’s former top diplomat, Josep Borrell, as nothing less than “a declaration of political war” against the continent.
This formal policy document was quickly followed by an exclusive interview with Politico, where Trump doubled down, describing Europe as a “decaying group of nations led by weak people.”
The reaction from European capitals was swift and defensive. Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, described some of the claims as “incomprehensible” and firmly asserted that Europe does not need the US to “help save its democracies.”
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The Death of the Western Alliance
The mood on Embassy Row is dark, driven by a profound sense of abandonment and fear. Diplomats, nibbling on canapés and drowning their sorrows, spoke only on condition of anonymity, fearful of further retribution from the Trump administration.
“The Western Alliance is over. The relationship will never be the same again,” an envoy of a midsized European nation confided to Politico, before his political counselor quickly intervened to pull the statement “off the record.” This reticence is understandable, given the recent example of Belgium’s defense attaché being forced to resign after his critical remarks about the Trump administration’s “chaos and unpredictability” drew the ire of the Pentagon.
Despite the silence, there is a broad consensus among European envoys that Borrell is right: they must recognize that Trump sees the continent as a foe and stop “hiding behind a fateful and complacent silence.”
Psychosocial Disorientation
A psychologist might diagnose the state of Europe’s envoys as “psychosocial disorientation”—a profound state of confusion regarding one’s identity and future. This disorientation is “triggered by the administration’s empathetic break with the post-1945 order” that has defined transatlantic relations for decades.
Diplomats are caught in the early stages of transition, struggling to accept the loss of what was once familiar. Some cling to the hope that “it will all go back to normal in 2 years time when there’s a new president.” Others whisper that Trump, in a strange way, has a point about Europe’s decay, echoing criticisms made by former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who warned the EU faces “irrelevance and decline” without dramatic reform.
But the key distinction remains: Draghi has Europe’s best interests at heart. “Does Trump?” one envoy mused, conceding, “Maybe not.”
A New Foreign Policy: What Works for America
The consensus emerging among the diplomatic corps is a grim acceptance that foreign policy under the current US administration is no longer “values-based and grounded in traditional political ideology,” but rather “guided by what works for America.”
This new approach dictates:
Rejection of Liberal Values: What works for America is not “liberty and promoting democracy.”
Coziness with Autocrats: It means cozying up to leaders like those in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and refraining from criticizing their authoritarianism.
End of Interventionism: It means rejecting “silly old-fashioned interventionist notions” about cajoling countries to adopt democratic changes that differ from their traditions and history.
The irony is not lost on the diplomats: while Trump claims he wants Europe to be stronger, he previously stated the European Union was formed “to screw America.”
A Tale of Two Parties
The contrast in the diplomatic world is stark.
The Germans, embracing the “chill winds,” held their Christmas market party outside, serving fortifying mulled wine and steaming Bratwurst—a robust, determined stance that their defense attaché reflected when declaring, “We shall do everything to keep Ukraine in the fight.”
Gas-rich Qatar, a nation Trump has smiled upon, had a massive, cheerful bash, filling the cavernous National Building Museum with US lawmakers and administration bigwigs, enjoying an endless supply of authentic Qatari food and alcohol. “We’re happy,” beamed a Qatari diplomat.
The article concludes with a warning to the former President: by alienating Europe, Trump is forcing the continent to unify. Together, Europe is “technically stronger than us both [the US], both GDP and also in terms of the global stage.”
“Careful Donald what you wish for this Christmas,” the piece cautions, as his attacks may ultimately prompt the very unified, powerful European foe he claims to oppose.
