French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron welcome U.S. President Donald Trump for a dinner commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence, at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, France, June 17, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor warned President Donald Trump's preference for authoritarian leaders over democratic allies has evolved from a personal quirk into consequential national policy.
In his op-ed for The i Paper, Taylor traced the pattern to Trump's 2018 G7 disruption in Canada — where he arrived late, lectured allies, disavowed a joint communiqué, and called for Russia's reinstatement — and argued Trump's mood swings have upended the world order.
A European Council on Foreign Relations survey confirms the damage: only 11% of Europeans now view the U.S. as an ally, representing a historic low since Trump's return.
Taylor attributed the collapse to unilateral actions, including military strikes on Iran without consulting allies, troop withdrawals from Germany, threats to annex Greenland, and public disparagement of leaders like the U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
European nations respond by increasing military spending and shifting to domestic defense industries, treating American unreliability as permanent.
Symbolically, G7 leaders abandoned plans for a final joint statement, signaling an inability to align on shared priorities.
Watch the video below.