Quote · The Rest Is Politics: US
198. Trump's War On Europe: No Way Back?
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You Can Only Rent Trump — Lessons from Giorgia Meloni
At 14:26 · chapter starts 12:40
Scarborough's most quotable line lands with precision: 'You can't buy Donald Trump, you can only rent him, and sometimes you can only rent him for 15 minutes' [1] — Joe Scarborough "No leader can truly secure Trump's loyalty. Scarborough's razor-sharp summary: you can't buy Donald Trump, you can only rent him — and some…" 12:00 . It is a perfect summary of the futility of appeasement strategies, from Paul Ryan to Keir Starmer. But the counter-example is Meloni. Kay notes the extraordinary spectacle of Italy's right-wing press running banner headlines calling Trump an asshole — a sign that Meloni's defiance has brought her natural allies back onside [2] — Katty Kay "Giorgia Meloni was supposed to be Trump's most devoted European ally. When she pushed back publicly, Italy's far-right press ran banner hea…" 12:40 . When your far-right base is celebrating you for standing up to a right-wing American president, you've found a political gift. Scarborough argues this is proof of the rule: Trump will be far more likely to have a good working relationship with Meloni for fighting back than he would if she had bowed down. The contrast with Starmer — who went the extra mile with the state visit offer — is implicit but devastating.
Giorgia Meloni was supposed to be Trump's most devoted European ally. When she pushed back publicly, Italy's far-right press ran banner headlines calling Trump an asshole — and her poll numbers soared. Defiance delivered what deference never could.
After Giorgia Meloni publicly defied Trump, even Italy's far-right press ran banner headlines supporting her, showing her domestic popularity surged.
The EU plus UK has a GDP roughly equal to the United States — around $26–27 trillion. Russia's GDP is $1.4 trillion, smaller than Texas. The numbers make Trump's pro-Russia, anti-Europe posture look economically insane. Europe has the leverage; it just needs the nerve to use it.
Mark Carney came in on the thinnest of margins. A year in, people talk about what a forceful leader he's become. The secret: tough without being gratuitously insulting. Trump's taunts are the taunts of a 5-year-old — the correct response is to ignore them and move.
