"The first two years of the Trump administration demonstrate that President Trump is not undermining these institutions, nor is he abandoning American leadership," Pompeo said, addressing criticism from some European allies that view Trump's policies as abrasive. "Quite the opposite. In the finest traditions of our great democracy, we are rallying the noble nations to build a new liberal order that prevents war and achieves greater prosperity."
It has hurt my brain to hear people constantly say America is walking away from Europe despite obviously strong efforts to defend Europe from the Russian threat to peace on the continent.
But perhaps after years of America letting Europe drift via the fantasy of "leading them from behind" the Europeans don't know what actual leadership looks like.
Sadly, we must now cope with the damage I foresaw with the false peace of retreat strategy we had for 8 years.
I may not like how abrasive our president often is (I'd prefer a little more velvet glove with the necessary iron fist bluntness he has used), but you'd think that a continent that prides itself in understanding nuance could separate the public crudity and, yes, jerkiness, from the validity of his uncomfortable pressure to increase defense spending that is helping Europe and America.
