When Ursula von der Leyen flew to Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland in July 2025 to end a trade fight, she came home with a 15 percent tariff on most European goods and a promise that Europe would not retaliate. The European Parliament’s trade chief called the deal lopsided. Germany’s chancellor welcomed it anyway. That is how a continent behaves when it believes the other side holds the stronger hand.
Trump’s Pressure on NATO Is Finally Making Europe Stronger
From higher defense spending to a lopsided trade deal, European leaders are learning that dependence on Washington comes at a price.
