(#6276) For our European allies in particular, trump has inadvertently reaffirmed their commitment to democracy

      At the end of the Biden administration the European nations were somewhat lethargic in their commitment to Ukraine. There were instances of some dissent from some areas within the European Union. The slog of war and Russian propaganda was having some effect. But once trump came on the scene the mood changed and a realization that democracy fighting was not going to have a reliable partner in the form of the United States, that lethargy from some, suddenly became alarm. The Europeans realized that trump was now aligning with Russia and that the democracy Europe has was not as secure. logically they saw Ukraine as their true ally and a force that needed protecting.
     At first it was just trump trying to be covert in his action and behaviors to decouple the US from the war in Ukraine. His disrespectful hosting of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House spoke volumes about how trump would not partner with Ukraine to destabilize Russia's invasion of Ukraine. So Europe decided that without US leadership they would have to band together to reinforce their union to protect their democracy but also the NATO alliance to prepare for a worse case scenario should Ukraine be overrun by Russia  forces. The European Union acted quickly to pull their alliance tight with the exception of Hungary who was well situated with Russia despite being a EU and NATO member.
     So as the EU and NATO have resolved themselves as a separate force beyond the United States they have coalesced nicely. In 3 days the election in Hungary should bring that country back into the good graces of both the EU and NATO. What trump has done inadvertently is create a stronger force out of the EU and NATO than he had envisioned. He thought they would fold like he does when faced with difficulties. Thankfully democracy is revered beyond the US, and for us here in the US who still love democracy I couldn't be more proud of our European friends. Once we democracy loving Americans retake our leadership here at home we will be back with beaming pride for our European allies who are now unequivocal in their support for our shared values!