Oh well. At least we know now exactly what our American cousins really think of us. And so much for the “special relationship”. We’re a bunch of freeloaders, us Europeans. There’s no caveat coming from Washington that attempts to separate Britain from our neighbours across the Channel. We’re all as bad as each other, it seems. Lumped in together in a series of sneering asides.
The leaked top-level texts between senior White House officials as they discussed secret bombing strikes in Yemen spoke volumes about the contempt in which we on this side of the pond are held. Yes, it’s absolutely true that far more European shipping goes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal than does US cargo – roughly 10 times more – and is targeted by Houthi rebel missiles and drones.
But excuse me. The RAF plays a crucial part in those air raids on the launch sites. Our tanker planes refuel the US bombers mid-air. No mention of that in the scornful exchanges accidentally sent to a veteran American journo who was astonished to be mistakenly included in the thread.
Remarks such as:“I think we are making a mistake, 3% of US trade runs through the Suez, 40% of European trade does. I’m not sure the President is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. I just hate bailing Europe out again.” Vice President JD Vance (very possibly the next US president, by the way).
“I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.” (Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth).
The man who carelessly included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, into the so-called top secret thread, national security adviser Michael Waltz (who clearly doesn’t deliver what it says on his tin) made an interesting contribution. A triple emoji.
Juvenile? Yes. Cheap? Yes. Embarrassing for someone at his level to post? Oh, yes. World affairs summarised through the medium of teenpop graphics. Such intellectual vapidity. Dear God. Of course, as I wrote here last week, we’ve had this coming. For decades, Europe (and yes, the UK) have sheltered and skulked beneath the generous skirts of the American taxpayer.
Or as one US senator put it this week: “Time for those guys over there to start paying for their own umbrella.” Quite. But US taxpayers’ understandable simmering resentment at picking up the tab for the last 80 years hasn’t just boiled over: the steam’s blown the lid of the pan off.
Washington’s movers and shakers now talk about us in the same coarse, disparaging terms as drinkers in a Texas bar. I’m not sure where we go from here. It’s a frightening new reality. I suppose if I were Michael Waltz, I’d sum it up in three emojis.
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We interviewed Amanda Knox this week in a TV exclusive for Good Morning Britain. Only the most bonkers conspiracy theorist could still think she is guilty of the murder of English student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007 (Knox was comprehensively acquitted after being wrongly imprisoned for four years) but the American, now 37, continues to struggle to escape the shadows of the past.
She’s become quite the philosopher in the process. “I’ve learned to value what I have precisely because it could all be taken away in an instant. When I was stripped of nearly everything, the one thing I still had was myself… and I was enough.” Strong, brave – and fascinating.
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I wasn’t remotely surprised this week when foreign office travel advice to people visiting America warned of toughened-up reception on arrival. Anyone infringing US entry rules – even in the most minor of ways – could find themselves under arrest and held in a cell; all part of Donald Trump’s orders focusing on stricter border controls.
I wasn’t surprised because when Judy and I flew to Florida last month for a break in the sunshine state, we had the chilliest welcome at US Immigration that I can ever remember receiving in nore than 40 years of regular visits to America.
Why were we trying to get in? Where were we going? What would we be doing? What was our profession? (When I said: “Journalist” the temperature instantly dropped several more degrees). Were we carrying any currency? How much? When would we be leaving?
On and on it went, a proper grilling made tones of suspicion and, frankly, barely concealed hostility. Eventually our passports were grudgingly returned to us and we were almost reluctantly waved through. If you’re flying to the land of the free anytime soon, do everything by the book and watch your step. It seems US Passport Control just got paranoid.
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