Rory Stewart

As you pointed out, the key point of the US national security strategy is it's talking about civilizational erasure in Europe.

It's talking about putting its energy behind the populist far right in Europe.

It's talking about us not being democracies.

So,

What actually Starmer is doing, if I'm going to criticize him, is he is still buying into the Department of Defense rhetoric, which has been running for 10 years, which is that it's Europe's fault.

We didn't spend enough on defense and that the US criticism of Europe is perfectly legitimate.

If only we'd spent more on defense, we'd be able to stand on our own two feet.

But that isn't really what Trump's policy is about.

Trump's policy, that's now just – it's increasingly clear that's just a mask.

This is what the DOD says, and we parrot that line, and Starmer's parroting that line.

They're much more radical now.

They're not serious about the NATO alliance.

They're not serious about helping us against Russia.

They're not serious about helping us rearm.

America isn't serious about getting European defense industries off the ground.

They're not serious about helping us with satellite Ukraine.

It's bullshit.

This is –

A spin from the DoD to justify Greenland cuts, aid cuts, betrayal to Putin, betrayal on Ukraine.

How come Carney can say it and Mertz can say it?