The era of European dependence is over

Published May 28, 2026 8:00am ET | Updated May 28, 2026 9:25am ET



Ever since World War II, Europe has been reliant on the United States for everything from its defense to its healthcare. President Donald Trump is now signaling that this era of dependence is over.

Technically, Trump has been telegraphing this since his very first presidential campaign, when he declared that other countries need to stop ripping off the U.S. He singled out Europeans in particular for free-riding off of American security guarantees through NATO.

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