Il momento della lampadina di Trump: dopo tutto, l’America ha bisogno dell’Europa

The U.S. is even looking to Ukraine to help its operations against Iran — as Trump rages at Starmer and Sánchez for refusing to back his war.

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Donald Trump’s German grandparents may have known the word for what some European officials now feel, as they watch him complain that America’s traditional allies have let him down: Schadenfreude. 

Having spent a year criticizing, insulting and threatening European leaders, Trump now sees the value of having friends in strategically important places — if they have military assets he can use, anyway.

The U.S-Israel war against Iran would have been a lot easier in its opening days if British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hadn’t denied American bombers permission to take off from U.K. airbases, Trump complained this week. 

Starmer, however, is standing his ground, refusing to authorize anything more than “defensive” operations from Royal Air Force facilities in the U.K. and overseas. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is also playing hardball with Trump, condemning what he regards as a law-breaking operation in the Middle East and similarly refusing to let American planes take off from airfields under his control. Sánchez incurred Trump’s rage as a result. 

And French President Emmanuel Macron — ever the critical friend — called the Iran war dangerous, warning it doesn’t comply with international law and couldn’t be supported. 

The rift now threatens to escalate into a major trade confrontation between the United States and the European Union, while the mythologized “special relationship“ between the U.K. and America is on life support, as the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence approaches. 

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said, as he explained his particular frustration with Starmer. 

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “the President expects all Europe — all of our European allies, of course — to cooperate in this long-sought-after mission, not just for the United States, but also for Europe, to crush the rogue Iranian regime that not only threatens America, but also threatens our European allies as well.”

She told reporters that Spain had now “agreed to cooperate” with the U.S. military — but the Spanish government immediately hit back with a denial.

The hardening position of European leaders on Iran marks a watershed moment, just as U.S. President George W. Bush’s doomed and divisive invasion of Iraq in 2003 undermined transatlantic trust for years. The tensions over such a consequential new conflict in the Middle East may even prove existential for the Western alliance, after 12 months that had already strained U.S.-European relations to the breaking point. 

“I presume President Trump hasn’t tried to get NATO support for the war in Iran — perhaps he didn’t think it was worthwhile,” Emily Thornberry, chair of the U.K. Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and a member of Starmer’s Labour Party, told POLITICO. “I suspect he may now be learning a lesson about the value of having a broad base of allies.”

Ghosts of Iraq

Trump’s belligerent approach since returning to office in January 2025 has been hard for many officials in Europe to swallow. He has slashed U.S. support for Ukraine and moved to push Kyiv toward an unwelcome and unbalanced peace deal; castigated “weak” EU leaders for failing to get a grip on immigration; demanded Greenland be handed to America; and is now attacking Iran without so much as consulting key NATO allies. 

Now that those allies are alarmed and unwilling to join in, Trump and his MAGA lieutenants are clearly no more forgiving than Bush’s Republicans were when France refused to back the Iraq War two decades ago. 

On Tuesday night the president slammed Sánchez’s government as “terrible” and “unfriendly” over its decision to bar U.S. military planes from using Spanish air bases to attack Iran, before threatening to cut all trade with the EU’s fourth-biggest economy. Sánchez hit back on Wednesday, insisting he would not budge. 

We are not going to take a position that goes against our values and principles out of fear of reprisals from others,” Sánchez said during a televised address to the nation. 

American air-refueling tankers that had been stationed in Spain left for other military bases in Europe after the Iran war began, according to Reuters. One official told POLITICO that some U.S. tankers had been moved to France on a temporary basis. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent piled on against Spain Wednesday morning during a TV interview. Madrid’s “highly uncooperative” attitude toward American use of the bases would affect the U.S. military’s ability to carry out operations against Iran, he said. “The Spanish put American lives at risk.” 

Some Europeans remain in Trump’s good books. During a visit to the White House this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz received a glowing review from the U.S. president after the Ramstein airbase in Germany was made available to U.S. forces. “Germany’s been great. He’s been terrific,” Trump said. “They’re letting us land in certain areas, and we appreciate it.” 

Trump stressed that Washington didn’t want direct German participation in the fighting. “We’re not asking them to put boots on the ground or anything,” he said.

Well that would come at a cost wouldn’t it.

> “What Europeans are really worried about when we look at all this is American bluster and overstretch,” Stelzenmüller said. “The thought that we might be witnessing the self-destruction of American power — that is what I think is really putting fear into the minds of even the most critical of allies.” 

Yeah it’s pretty incredible watching the global hegemon trash their Athenian-style Empire as fast as possible

So Donald Chump and Kegsbreath threaten NATO and Europe and also always trying to fuck over Ukraine and then bitch and complain about a lack of unity and help when doing another vile, illegal internationally condemned act of war? 🤔
It seems that maybe now they understand what gives them strength.

he can fuck off

Trump is a pathetic worm

He has narcissistic personality disorder, he is incapable of doing so, even if he wanted to. But he is good at pretending.

.!. Simple as that

Trump is the most shameless leader in history. A month ago Europe had to send military to Greenland because Trump’s threat of taking it by force was deemed serious enough.

Now he expects everyone to cooperate with a war not even his own congress has greenlit. Otherwise they’ll get punished or something.

At some point, we’re all just going to come to the conclusion that having US bases is more a liability than security.

Starmer & co’s weak “defensive only” bullshit only exposed them as indirect participants, and didn’t even protect them from being insulted and humiliated by Trump. So why allow any use of the bases at all?

Well, Trump said that if he wants to use our bases, he’ll come and take them, so… we are awaiting US attack on Spanish soil.

has he even said thank you?

That’s because they are running out of long range missiles and interceptors very quickly.

We’re not friends. It’s just business, and right now you’re bad for business donsky.

>“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said, as he explained his particular frustration with Starmer. 

He’s lucky that Starmer isn’t, because Churchill would let even half of what that morons said in the past couple months slide….

He can go whistle