Friend of Democracy,
Do you remember the world before Trump?
From the end of the Second World War until his reign, the deal between the US and Western Europe has always been this: The Americans said, 'If you, Europe, play by our rules, we'll protect not only our freedom but also yours, with our firepower.'
Even if the US under Donald Trump presents it differently today, it was a mutually beneficial deal. We got security at a reasonable price, and the US got a dependent continent (which was euphemistically referred to as a transatlantic partnership).
That deal no longer exists. Trump has terminated it. Now, democratic Europe is afraid to be left without adequate defence, and the US is losing its influence over democratic Europe; at least after this Europe has permanently spent larger portions of its earnings on its protection and can subsequently defend itself.
After that, both sides of the Atlantic will be worse off. Because security is most affordable for everyone when as many like-minded states as possible join forces. The fewer states that participate, the more each country has to contribute. In Germany, for example, defence spending is expected to triple over the next few years (from around 50 billion euros to 150 billion). This money will not be spent on education, medical advances, or climate change adaptation. Money that, under the new conditions, will nevertheless be used for the best of all purposes: preventing war.
See you in Democracy,
Johannes Eber