A grim realisation is dawning in the chancelleries of Europe.
Giving Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt in the run up to his inauguration may have been rather naïve.
Some had assumed that Trump the candidate was taking more extreme positions to win votes.
Sure, he undermined Nato, saying America may not automatically come to the aid of the little countries if they don’t pay their dues.
Sure, he cheered on the chances of Europe breaking up in the wake of Brexit.
And he did not seem to buy into the Pax Americana, the idea that America underpinned a world order that had kept us peaceful secure and prosperous since World War II.
But people say stuff to get elected don’t they? Just wait and see what the prospect of actually being in power would do to him.
Well, as it turns out Trump the President may well be the same if not even more extreme than Trump the campaigner.
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