Dear European friends,

I understand the change in our relationship is nearly incomprehensible. Your ancestors helped found the U.S. 250 years ago. Many of our nations fought shoulder to shoulder during two world wars, and you stood by our side after the 9/11 attacks. We created the world’s most successful military alliance in NATO, and built the largest bilateral trade and investment partnership with the E.U. Being described by President Trump as a “decaying” group of nations led by “weak” people makes it painfully clear that you can no longer count on our global leadership and must strengthen your own hand.

During the first Trump Administration, you withstood shocks to our relationship. The President pressured you on defense spending, imposed tariffs on dubious grounds, and withdrew from international agreements and organizations. You were advised to take Trump seriously but not literally and to trust the adults in the room, who largely succeeded in providing guardrails while American institutions held.

The election of Joe Biden brought the promise of renewed stability. As his Europe advisor, I was charged with trying to restore trust with you. It wasn’t easy at first, as feelings were raw and skepticism was high. When Biden announced at the Munich Security Conference in February 2021 that “America is back,” he acknowledged that your leaders asked him for how long. Early trust-building efforts were hindered by our poor diplomatic handling of AUKUS, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and your unhappiness with the Inflation Reduction Act. But we learned from those experiences and redoubled our engagement. By the time Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, our alliance was stronger than ever, as we worked closely with the E.U. and NATO on sanctions and military aid. My biggest regret is being too reassuring, wanting to believe that American politics had returned to normal. And in hindsight, we have long held strong views about how Europe should strengthen........

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