As recent events have dramatically improved GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s chances for victory in November, European leaders who criticized him in the past have gone from fretting about a possible new Trump presidency to preparing for the former president’s return to the White House.
With a few key exceptions – Viktor Orban in Hungary and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni come to mind – leaders in the European Union have stood solidly in support of Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.
But now, with Trump's prospects on the rise, there’s a shift among the continent’s leadership that is likely to have profound effects on what happens in Ukraine and other security issues, global climate change strategies, and the nature of trans-Atlantic ties.