Since his first term, President Donald Trump has been rightly critical of Europe’s free-loading off American largesse. His calls to take Greenland and to not honor NATO Article 5 commitments to any country that isn’t spending what it should on defense have thrown European leaders into fits of rage. But when asked about distancing Europe from the United States, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a friend of the Trump administration, criticized the idea. Watch:

The Trump administration is frustrated with a Europe that won’t stand up for itself. At the Munich Security Conference on February 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized “massive welfare states” that have come at the cost of their ability to defend themselves. An obvious shot at European countries that have underspent on defense.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: @SecRubio‘s widely acclaimed address at the Munich Security Conference pic.twitter.com/q86hij7H3L

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 14, 2026