Photograph Source: The White House – Public Domain

I have been thinking about what non-sensational facts about Europe may be overlooked in Washington—particularly as recent reporting suggests that Donald Trump may seek to pull Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Poland away from the European Union. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has already applied pressure on Kyiv on Trump’s behalf, while Trump himself continues to accuse most European leaders of weakness. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter warns: “We should be aware that the US is not only on the path to leaving Europe—it is practically becoming an adversary, similar to China and Russia.”

Three points seem to matter here. Europe is structurally misunderstood by the Trump administration. That misunderstanding is already damaging alliances. And Europe is more resilient and autonomous than US rhetoric suggests—or assumes.

“The beauty of the universe consists not only of unity in variety, but also of variety in unity,” wrote Umberto Eco. Europe is not one country. Beneath its shared ambition to co-exist sit over forty nations with deep political differences. Americans often speak of “Europe” as if it were governed by a single authority. It is not. The European Union consists of 27 sovereign states—it would rise to 28 were Ukraine to join. Each sets its own taxation. Each maintains its own defence, education systems, and media regulation.

I accept that the European Union has a limited ability to act decisively and cohesively at times. Companies in Europe suffer from too much red tape and sky-high energy prices. But it remains the largest trading bloc in the world. Collectively, the EU rivals the US and China in economic output—even if one good offshore friend sees it as flawed. “The Eurozone has been a disaster,” he insists. “It laid waste to Southern Europe’s economies.” He is one of........

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