President Trump habitually publicly describes our European allies with thinly veiled contempt. (“Most European, nations, uh, they’re decaying. They’re decaying… They’re destroying their countries… I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do. They don’t know what to do on trade either.”) While there’s a time and place for tough love, the regular outburst of sneering disdain is a bad habit; it offers nearly no upside and complicates cooperation on key issues.

But with that said, there are times when European leaders live down........

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