Europe isn’t happy about insults from Trump’s officials in leaked chat

Europe’s leaders expressed outrage this week after leaked messages from a Trump administration Signal group chat showed top officials calling the continent “pathetic” and “freeloading.” 

The exchange, revealed in The Atlantic on Monday, came from discussions about a planned U.S. military strike in Yemen and has sparked new doubts about the durability of trans-Atlantic ties.

European officials reacted with a mix of anger and disbelief when they learned of the private conversation among high-ranking Trump administration figures. The leaked excerpts showed Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and an aide believed to be Stephen Miller referring to European allies in derisive terms and discussing whether Europe should pay the United States for military operations that also benefit European security.

In the conversation, Vance wrote, “I just hate bailing out the Europeans again,” suggesting that the airstrikes in Yemen would help Europe more than the United States. Hegseth responded, “I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It’s PATHETIC.” The talk continued with comments that Europe acts like a “mooch” whenever the United States takes action that might have broader benefits. A chat member identified as “SM,” proposed that both Egypt and “Europe” compensate Washington for the costs of the operation. “If Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what?” SM asked. He added that if the United States “successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”

European diplomats said they had never asked the White House to carry out a strike in Yemen in the first place. One diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks, said that the European Union was only informed about the plan but never requested it. The same diplomat also said there had been no conversations with senior policymakers about compensations.

Nathalie Loiseau, a member of the European Parliament, posted on X, “Putin is now unemployed: No point in spying anymore,” sarcastically suggesting that Russia would not need to make special efforts to gather intelligence if American officials were already discussing operational details on a consumer chat app. She went on to say, “No point in crushing Ukraine anymore, Trump will take care of it.”

Deux remarques sur le Signalgate:
– il n’y a plus d’adultes dans la pièce à Washington. Même mes ados sont plus responsables.
– Poutine est désormais au chômage : plus la peine d’espionner, les fuites viennent des 🇺🇸 eux-mêmes. Plus la peine d’écraser l’Ukraine, Trump s’en charge https://t.co/DUmdu1sVVL

— Nathalie Loiseau (@NathalieLoiseau) March 25, 2025

Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs, said, “It is clear that the trans-Atlantic relationship, as was, is over, and there is, at best, an indifferent disdain. And at worst, and closer to that, there is an active attempt to undermine Europe.” She added that Washington’s posture toward the EU now seems more confrontational than cooperative.

Leaders in Europe have taken note of how the Trump administration has criticized core aspects of the EU’s philosophy. The bloc is structured around shared rules for international trade, broad environmental regulations, and protections for social media users. These positions often clash with President Trump’s approach.

Tensions escalated last month when Vice President Vance delivered a speech in Munich that alarmed European officials. Vance questioned European values and democracy, then warned the continent was at risk of “civilizational suicide.” 

Analysts say this marked a turning point that cemented a sense of distrust. François Heisbourg, a French analyst and former defense official, explained that the rift goes beyond whether Europeans simply need to spend more on the military. “Vance was quite clear: We don’t share the same values,” Heisbourg said, pointing out that the leaked chat strengthened that message.

European commentators, such as Anna Sauerbrey of Die Zeit, have noted that the United States relies on global trade routes just as much as Europe does, and that several European navies—those of France, Britain, and the Netherlands—already patrol parts of the same region discussed in the leaked chat. 

China’s stake in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is larger than many European countries’ interests since most of China’s oil imports and a significant part of its exports to Europe travel through that sea route. However, Nathalie Tocci mentioned that no one in the White House is talking about asking China for ‘remuneration.’ 

Trans-atlantic relations may be at risk

The White House had already triggered dismay in Europe by making controversial statements and moves against the EU. President Trump has floated acquiring Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, sparking a warning from EU leaders that they would defend their territory.

The president has also urged Europe to raise its military spending and threatened not to come to the defense of nations he believes are not paying enough. On top of these actions, he proposed hefty tariffs on European goods, claiming that the European Union was established to “screw” the United States in trade.

Christel Schaldemose, a Danish politician from the center-left wing of the European Parliament, said the way Washington talks about the EU “is not helping.” She asked, “Could we start talking to each other as allies and not enemies?” But there is growing concern that the old alliance cannot hold up under this pressure.

The group chat leak shows why some leaders feel that Europe can no longer depend on an ally they once trusted. Ben Hodges, the former commander of U.S. forces in Europe, said it was “highly unusual and possibly illegal for sensitive military plans to be discussed on a messaging app,” warning that “allies will be very reluctant to share analysis and intelligence” if they suspect the United States is so casual with security. Without a shift in attitudes, he said, “people will assume America can’t be trusted.”

Officials in European capitals now question what else the Trump administration might say in private about its oldest allies. Many worry the entire foundation of trans-Atlantic cooperation, including the mutual defense assurances in NATO, might be at risk if Washington continues to show such scorn for the EU. So far, attempts by European leaders to maintain unity with the United States have not prevented the White House from speaking in harsh terms or threatening new economic penalties.

Meanwhile, the visits by Usha Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to Greenland this week have caused further annoyance in Denmark, since the local government said it did not invite them. The controversy around that trip—and the earlier remarks by President Trump about possibly buying Greenland—add to the unease over whether American officials plan to respect established alliances or push for more unilateral deals.

European policymakers note that the same frustration felt by American officials toward Europe is now being voiced in reverse: many Europeans think the United States is acting too aggressively on issues ranging from defense to trade. The newly revealed chat messages simply confirm, in the eyes of many in Brussels, the suspicion that Washington sees Europe more as a burden than a partner.

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