| Hello from London,
Do you also hear that rumble from the east? It’s the sound of Vladimir Putin rubbing his hands with glee as America does his bidding in Europe. Even Mr Putin could not have scripted the eruption, on Friday, of a disastrous shouting match in the White House between Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Zelensky behaved foolishly. He might have been tired or frustrated, but should not have let himself be goaded by America’s vice-president. Mr Vance behaved shamefully. He set out to provoke and belittle the Ukrainian leader. Mr Trump then piled in, delighted to see his vice-president again behaving as an attack dog. The sad result is that Ukraine looks more isolated from America than before.
Now European leaders, again, must scramble to see what pieces they can pick up. Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer had both pulled off what seemed like successful visits to Mr Trump—but note how America still sided with Russia and other autocracies when voting on resolutions at the UN on Ukraine. Today, European leaders gathered for a second emergency summit, this time in London, to see how their countries can do more to support Ukraine against Russia and, in turn, defend themselves. This summit is newly significant. Europe must act far more forcefully, and quickly, than it has managed so far. That means taking decisions to rapidly increase defence spending and production—and a great deal more. Read our leader setting out how Europe must now act in the face of a growing Russian threat. And watch for our analysis of the summit’s outcome, which we will publish shortly.
Where does this leave Mr Trump with his voters? His berating of Ukraine’s leader, formerly a close ally of America, undoubtedly cheered his Trumpian base. Leading Republican figures (though few warm to Mr Vance) spoke out loudly against Mr Zelensky. More generally, the sight of America turning against old allies with threats to seize their territory and natural resources, or to impose high tariffs (another deadline looms this week), or to abandon old security guarantees, has not fazed voters. Polls show Mr Trump remains popular. He goes into his annual address to Congress on Tuesday feeling he is riding high.
Yet there are concerning signs for him. We have just published an article that observes how his arrival in the White House has both coincided with, and is causing, some early weakness in the American economy. Consumer and investor sentiment is dipping, especially because people increasingly expect inflation to rise again. The housing market is in a funk. Investors may be growing wary over the cost of tariffs. Meanwhile Elon Musk’s effort to cut waste among federal civil servants is causing chaos—it is not obvious that it will deliver notable savings. Read our analysis of the risk of a Trumpian economic slowdown.
For a Sunday break, play our regular weekend games: a new mini crossword, our Dateline history quiz and our pint-sized news quiz.
I also recommend our weekly tracker from our archive, of how The Economist covered the end of the second world war. This week’s entry is a quirky one: it concerns the British authorities’ worries about how to restart the tourist economy, as years of fighting in Europe came to an end. Read our Archive 1945 project.
Finally, thanks for all of your letters concerning the transatlantic alliance. We’ve brought together a selection of them in one place.
If you have any thoughts on this edition or our coverage, write to me at economisttoday@economist.com. |
