Congress can’t make Trump stay in Europe

When President Donald Trump returned to power, the overwhelming reaction from European leadership was that they would need to grit their teeth for four years. An anonymously quoted European diplomat summarised their views when they said that Brussels is waiting “until Trump is dead”. One hopes that they meant politically – though with Brussels, that is unlikely – but nevertheless, many, tired of waiting, have turned their hopes to something closer at hand: The 2026 midterm elections. At the Munich Security Conference last February, visiting Americans were pressed for their thoughts on the elections. And with polling showing Democrats with a not-unlikely chance to take the House of Representatives, Europeans are doubling down on private hopes that a new Congress next year will stop Trump from removing troops from Europe and gutting NATO.

These hopes are based on a false understanding of American politics. If President Trump wants to remove troops from Europe or gut NATO, he will have no difficulty doing so, no matter which party controls Congress.

Read more at Brussels Signal.