President Donald Trump has never been a reliable conservative leader. He has gone through cycles of good governance and baffling decisions during both terms of his presidency. Now, he is in the midst of a particularly terrible cycle.

Trump’s obsession with the United States acquiring Greenland has led him to become increasingly belligerent toward Europe. While there is nothing wrong with slapping around the Europeans on occasion, as they themselves are poor allies at times, Trump’s threats of tariffs and possibly military force to take Greenland have undermined legitimate American interests in the territory and hardened Europe against legitimate criticisms of the continent’s lack of military spending and unwillingness to face real threats to global stability, including Russia, China, and Islamic terrorism.