Italy Gives Trump the Cold Shoulder || Apr. 21, 2026
Trump's chaotic and isolated approach to the Iran War has caused rifts between the U.S. and many of its closest European allies. Topping that list is the Italians.
Trump went into the Iran War without consulting allies and determining how they could support, and then turned around and criticized each of those allies for not helping. This put unnecessary strain on long-standing partnerships with the UK, Spain, France, and Italy. And Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ and arguing with the pope, doesn't even help with the non-religious crowd in Italy.
As leaders like Giorgia Meloni begin withholding logistical and military cooperation, the U.S. will face major challenges in projecting military power abroad.
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Comments (77)
Victor Davis Hanson is smarter than Zeihan. PrometheanAction.com gives a different perspective.
Reported to us by a deep state shill. If you haven't figured out yet that the mainstream media is completely owned and controlled by the 0,001% and is just used to brainwash the masses, then have no idea what is really happening around you. Wake up.
You may recall he had a presidential 60 days to pursue military action without agreement from congress. American allies are not necessarily trump allies . Is this now close to being an illegal military action according to US law and where does that leave the military personnel involved.
Putin is, I'm sure, so proud of what his American friend has accomplished...
Oh dear. Soon they will have to pay their own bills. Whatever shall they do.
Peter is in Stage 4 TDS....get some mental healthcare before you end up like Cole Tomas Allen!
TDS zone. C ya
Bye Bruce. Take care!
what did you expect from a pe-do-rapist-convicted-criminal? elect a clown, EXPECT a CIRCUS (+treason) with NO CONSEQUENCES, we're talking banana republic level justice and political system here🤣🤣🤣
What happened to the Russian plan theory and series Peter started last year? It seems increasingly obvious this government is in place to explicitly deliver American decline.
Feels like an overreaction. It’ll take time to see how things shake out and for a recognizable pattern to appear.
PZ is not going to get a day off for quite a long time. Don't know about you all, but the last seven weeks has been quite a long year.
Krasnov is hard at work. Putin must be laughing.
He's definitely cheering. I'm curious, the fight with the Pope was his own idea or was suggested 🤔
Trump has a pretty good 1.5 year resume, for a presidential worst case scenario. Can it get worse? Hold my beer, 2.5 years to go and he's not getting any younger, smarter or better informed.
The best thing I can say about Donald Trump's images is that he may have been attempting to troll Ayatollah Ameli, who referred to Donald Trump as “al-Dajjal” – an Islamic version of the Anti-Christ. That, on top of six ayatollahs writing fatwas last summer calling for Donald Trump's crucifixion – the same punishment inflicted upon Jesus Christ Himself – may have affected our president's judgment. It is as though Iranians may have gotten into Donald Trump's head. FWIW, Donald Trump's irreverence might not be his worst sin. Somehow, I think Donald Trump would be even more unpopular if he were a pious Presbyterian religious leader such as Ian Paisley.
Seriously? No one has heard (except for yourself, possibly) of Ian Paisley.
How the heck did he record a video outdoors that sounds like it was recorded indoors?
Hillary's emails. 😆 The extent that Americans can be naive and not pay for it is exceptional.
What was in her emails?
In fairness, tRump has made billions of people exclaim, “Jesus Christ!”, repeatedly… …but that’s hardly the same thing, isn’t it?
He is acting like a crazy person. If he was a normal person, relatives would already be in court seeking a conservatorship. Why is there no equivalent when the family is a nation?
Lol. Putin isn't so stupid as to open multiple fronts
"Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts. Only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts." -- Londo Mollari https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_sBNX9dP-M
Trump's combination of ignorance and arrogance is nearly unmatched.
I disagree. It is NOT nearly unmatched!
To be fair the Pope is a bit ridiculous.
Yeah I mean how many divisions does he have anyway
Peter if you find yourself driving west from Walla Walla to Portland the Maryhill winery on Wa Hwy 14 has one of the best zinfandels on the planet. Great views overlooking the Columbia Gorge and a 5 star bistro as well.
my odds on a US military coup in the next 3 years are 10-12%.
I'd put it at 0.00010% to 0.00012%
The next president will have a huge responsibility to shake hands with 100+ countries apologizing for our idiotic president and his administration. The world will only see our seriousness if we jail most of this administration.
If not all. Anyone still in this administration who doesn't step away now is an accessory.
I cannot believe that no one has pointed these facts to the USA. Is absolutely no one looking to our future?
If the right wing wants to survive in Europe, they need to pivot towards Europe. Being associated with Trump, Russia, or Israel is politically toxic. Meloni gets it. Magyar gets it. Orban did not. We'll see regarding RN in France or AfD in Germany.
It seems like some tasting was done prior to making the recording
It's not just European allies... The criticism has sprayed from Canada to Japan, Australia and South Korea. That's a crippling impact on power projection... Losing access to Germany would make the Iran war difficult.
With regards to Donald Dump
No comment 🤮
If the choice comes between siding with Trump from Epstein‘s Island or the Pope from Chicago… I’m siding with the vicar of Christ. Logistics wins wars is like America’s entire thing… We have understood this fundamentally since the first world war… Why then did we put an adulterous whore who believes that logistics are stupid and that the masculine thing to do is to throw bodies at a problem like we’re the Russians? On one level, you kind of hope these people aren’t this stupid and they’re just compromised, but on another level, how could the Russians have possibly been able to infiltrate our government to this degree
I agree with you! But when I try to discuss this with my Republican friends, all they do is respond with democratic liberal hate. They are completely blind as to where Trump is leading them/us!
How much more damage will we let this cretin do? It is time for the cabinet to put on their big boy pants. Time to remove the spoiled, delusional, narcissistic, mentally diminished child from the presidency. Invoke the 25th Amendment.
Unindicted Coconspirators is a good description for most if not all of the senior members of Trump's Executive Branch, the conservative members of the Supreme Court and the majority of Republicans in the House and Senate.
If I’m not mistaken, sounds like you are saying trump is a complete fukwit and America has become a global laughing stock.
Now will America be great again?
According to all right wing "media" America is becoming great again
In post Trump idiocy, it will end, how much of a lift will the US have to do to bring back some semblance of its economic, trade and alliance relationships. As someone who is an independent (actually I considered myself a conservative democrat conservative on security and defense while liberal on social policies - there used to be a lot of us), can we manage our way out of this tribal trap that has so divided the country. I’ll add one comment. I can sense that independent swing to Republicans in the last election, because Biden didn’t follow through on his promises and held out so long we were presented with a wholly uninspiring even incompetent democrat candidate, has come to an end. I see independents like myself swinging decisively to the democrats in the mid terms. Consequently, I believe Trump will be a complete lame duck in his last two years
Unfortunately America elected this guy twice. Why would anyone trust the U.S. to be reliable in the future? This is what America is.
Hey Peter always enjoy your blogs etc and tend to agree with much you say. I'm a Kiwi living in Indonesia the last 16 years for some context if that means anything.. It seems to me it's almost time the Americans fell off the face of the planet and joined the Romans. You guys voted the dickhead in but doing nothing to rein it in. How dare you America. I have zero respect for the Good ole usa anymore..
I'm an American, and I'd like to take offense to that, but I can't. I am very embarrassed on what we've become, all at the hands of a madman aided by misinformation. FoxNews has a lot of the responsibility for our downfall.
Who could imagine the world's top 2 super powers ending their reigns at the same time without going to war with each other? Two master classes in incompetence and greed.
This is a good point. I expected it with China being driven into the ground with its demographics and now current dictator in Xi. But the fall of the US is staggering. In hindsight the gradual decline makes sense but the Trump shaped wrecking ball fast tracking it is wild.
Peter, can you do a video on UAE’s ask of the US for an Argentinian style dollar swap? This signals to my amateur brain, that the gulf has been GREATLY weakened by their gamble on the US, and rethinking their investments to hedge with China now, as we have shown to be a mercurial ally and one that has seen them be punished severely for it.
I see the Yuan rhetoric as politics rather than genuine, but yes I asked this in the analyst forum earlier as I'd be interested in a video on it too. With the plunge in tourism and oil, the UAE has a genuine concern on supply of USD. 💰💸
Imagine all the money and manpower wasted throughout the late 20th and early 21st century by Russia and China to undermine US influence and power across the globe. In the end, all it took was the most useful idiot in human history to make it happen.
US population turned out to be the most deadly of all tools.
Easily lends credence to names such as El Douche etc. but seriously the Iranians chant "Death to America" not death to Europe. Could signal a realignment with the Persians, Arabs, etc. and away from Israel in Europe. 'm starting to suspect that the chaos of the Iran War isn't incompetence. It's more likely profiteering from inside the White House on oil futures. If you have billions it's a safe way to "gamble". Wish they would give me a heads up , tired of losing money
Trump doesn't ask for allies help before attacking Iran. Then screams at them for not helping him. Then attacks NATO on the basis that a defensive alliance weren't there when he launched an attack. America will leave NATO on that basis. Mission accomplished!
He can’t leave NATO without Congressional approval. And as Trump’s power wanes after the midterms more Republicans will jump the MAGA train as they look at the mess Trump created.
If Trump wants to make the USA weaker, poorer, more divided, and less secure, his policies make a lot of sense.
Maga Christians coming to terms with Trump.... I think they just keep giving him a free pass because 1) he got roe vs. wade overturned etc. and 2) he's not a liberal Democrat.
And he has marketing chops that work on people that don’t verify his claims or game theory his “bold ideas”.
So how does this end? Trump gets out of NATO and then the Chinese and the Russians gang up on the US and Europe watches?
This will probably end in the US losing influence in the Middle East and China gaining influence.
So Balance this with Victor Davis Hanson and in the middle you get a kernel of truth. Peter keeps me grounded from the left. Appreciate the outlook
Sorry but VDH has become a Trump apoologist. For someone with military history expertise, he chose to be silent on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and now he glosses over Iran's strategic response.
NATOs days are numbered because Russia lost the war in Ukraine. Thr entire point of NATO was to counter Russia. Russia is done therefore NATOs purpose is done. Now it would be nice to have a president who could talk about what’s next how to maybe repurpose this alliance but we don’t. The alliance was always gonna go away it would have been nice to dismantle it in a more productive way to at least maintain bits and pieces that still work for us.
I am all for Ukraine kicking out the invaders, but to say that they lost and have no desire to go on is to not understand the Russian mindset nor Putin’s. There is a Swedish island and other NATO owned islands that Putin has been eyeing, to test the resolve of NATO, and perhaps get what he wants, which is for his cheerleader Trump to leave NATO, essentially leaving the alliance far weaker and in need of a separate alliance structure. He could then go for Maldova, the Baltics. Trump’s disdain for Europe is a massive problem. Vance as well. And while so much damage has been done, I have to hope some of the relationship can be repaired.
In my short 80 years (the latest 40 more mature than the first forty) I’ve never seen such a CF of yes men and women support such a nut case. Congress is spineless and bullies generally meet their end after sanity once again reins - but how long is that? On top of it all is the United States at about $40trillion in debt. We are paying more on interest on the debt than defense. Over 1T vs 900B. There is such a thing known as FERGUSON’S LAW when that occurs. I’m a fiscal conservative and social liberal, republican in name only.
He has certainly done some MAJOR damage that seems very overwhelming, a lot of it planned, some out of pure hubris and ignorance. His “big beautiful bill” is slated to cost an ADDITIONAL 30 trillion over the next three decades. All of this talk of all of these investments he has procured from the Gulf states and Asia in the double digits trillions, is fluff and bs. Sure the gulf states wanted to perhaps do some business here, but are probably now looking to hedge their fortunes with China. That is devastating. And the UAE is asking us for a dollar swap à la Argentina. The region is paying a HEAVY price for the ties to the US, Iran is punishing them in no small fashion. This administration is a private equity firm that is looting our country for all of its value and our future be damned.
I’m sorry but this take is overly exaggerated. This outcome is probably likely over time without allies but to suggest in the last two weeks we haven’t been able to move carriers or our logistics chain has collapsed his horse shit.
You don't pay very close attention to the news, do you?
Donny dip shit strikes again
So, once/if Trump leaves Persian Gulf - in a mess and without removing Islamic Republic/IRGC from the scene! - Leaving alliance regional and European high and dry, Would the European Alliance (of 49 countries thus far) be able to clean up the mess? Namely returning Hormuz straight and energy flows to prior Iran War? If yes, how does that work? If No, what’s going to change?
the ability to use logistics and support from all allies of course
Idk PZ, kinda sounds just like high school, when everyone hates you because you’re the only cool kid and your dad has way more money than everyone else’s dad and then you don’t have to go to Viet Nam because you’re that much cooler, or have a regular job, or be particularly good at anything, and I mean, that ALWAYS makes incredible leaders, right?
It is more like the class clown being unable to get a ride home from anybody.