Oct 30, 2026 · 24 min
European leaders retreat from Trump’s Washington
The Great Washington Retreat
The episode examines how public diplomatic humiliation is reshaping Europe’s dealings with the United States without ending cooperation behind the scenes.
- 1European leaders increasingly avoid visible meetings with Donald Trump after confrontational encounters damaged their domestic political standing.
- 2Diplomacy continues through ministers, officials, and private calls even as presidential face time loses its strategic appeal.
- 3Some European leaders are cautiously cultivating potential future American presidents and Trump’s critics while managing the risks of antagonizing him.
Don't miss
The discussion frames Sánchez’s meeting with Gavin Newsom as both a possible bridge to America’s future and a deliberate challenge to Trump.
The brief
Julia Ioffe argues that European leaders are increasingly avoiding Washington because encounters with Donald Trump can bring public humiliation, hostile treatment, and political costs at home.
The calculation changed after contentious encounters involving Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, while Trump’s warm public treatment of China and Qatar underscored Europe’s diminished standing.
Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni illustrate the retreat from once-visible rapport with Trump, as public association with him becomes harder to manage politically.
The retreat is selective: European governments still work with the United States through ministers, officials, and phone calls, but no longer see getting Trump into a room as an automatic win.
Pedro Sánchez’s meeting with Gavin Newsom captures the emerging dilemma—renew ties with America beyond Trump while risking accusations of deliberately challenging him.
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