President Donald Trump and his allies have long argued that Trumpism is part of a global movement reshaping the West.
Now that coalition is showing signs of strain over Trump’s war with Iran, his public criticism of allies and his threats to reduce American military support.
Not long ago, Trump appeared to have a point.
In 2025, nationalist leaders from across Europe gathered in Madrid for the Patriots for Europe summit, promoting a “Make Europe Great Again” agenda modeled on Trump’s “America First” movement.
The meeting included a close ally, right-wing populist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who was unceremoniously dumped out of power in an election earlier this year in a blow to the Trump administration, which had sent Vice President JD Vance to campaign for him.
Also in attendance were Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, both of whom embraced many of Trump’s positions on immigration and cultural issues. Trump also endorsed Nawrocki during his presidential campaign.
But a series of recent disputes is exposing cracks in that alliance, as Trump’s “America First” agenda increasingly collides with the national interests of the leaders who once embraced it.
The clearest example is Meloni, long regarded as Trump’s closest European ally. She attended his inauguration and sought to position herself as a bridge between Washington and Europe. But the relationship has frayed over the administration’s handling of Iran and Trump’s increasingly personal criticism of the Italian prime minister.
After Italy declined to fully support U.S. military action involving Iran, Trump publicly criticized Meloni, saying he was “shocked” by her position and declaring, “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.”
Shortly afterward, during the Group of Seven summit, Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph. Meloni pushed back publicly, accusing Trump of treating democratic allies with less respect than authoritarian leaders.
Poland offers another example.
Trump enthusiastically backed Poland’s Nawrocki, hosting the conservative presidential candidate at the White House just weeks before the vote and declaring that Poland had “picked a winner.” But the goodwill was undermined by a separate Pentagon decision. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a review of U.S. troop deployments and canceled plans to send 4,000 additional American troops to Poland. The move alarmed officials in Warsaw, who view a sustained U.S. military presence as essential to deterring Russia.
The disagreement reflects a broader divide. Trump has repeatedly questioned U.S. security commitments overseas, while Poland’s conservative leadership has consistently called for more American troops, stronger NATO guarantees and continued military support for Ukraine. One of Trump’s strongest ideological allies in Europe is, in effect, arguing for greater U.S. engagement, not less.
In recent weeks, Trump has also criticized European allies for refusing to fully support U.S. operations involving Iran, singling out countries including Italy and Spain while questioning whether the United States should continue underwriting Europe’s security.
At the same time, the administration is reviewing U.S. troop deployments across Europe, raising concerns among governments that have long relied on the American military presence.
Leaders who embraced Trump as an ally are discovering that the limits of ideological solidarity.
Leaders who once embraced Trump as an ideological ally are discovering that the limits of ideological solidarity are defined by national interest. As U.S. policies begin to threaten their own security, economies and domestic political standing, many are putting their own countries first.
Trump has argued that Europe’s nationalist leaders are part of the same political movement as his own. But the nationalism they share is also what is driving them apart, as each government pursues its own interests.
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