A multilateral meeting between European leaders and Donald Trump at the White House opened in an overtly friendly atmosphere and was marked by mutual compliments.
The US president singled out each of the European politicians who had traveled to Washington. He called NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte a “great political leader.” Speaking about French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said Macron had been there “from the very beginning,” meaning since his first presidential term, and that he had liked him “from day one, and now even more.”
Trump described Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as “inspiring,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was called “a very strong man.”
The European participants, for their part, also praised Trump publicly, stressing that he had helped move the peace process out of a deadlock.
The tone stood in sharp contrast to a number of earlier episodes in which Trump and members of his administration had harshly criticized European elites. Alongside the exchange of barbs during the tariff war, the EU was particularly shaken by Vice President J.D. Vance speaking at the Munich Security Conference in February, where he criticized Europe’s political order.
After that, many experts spoke of a serious crack in the transatlantic partnership and even of the risk of its eventual collapse. However, as of August 2025, it can be concluded that the bleakest scenario did not materialize.