LONDON (AP) 鈥� . The Danes are . Colombia has . Mexico and Canada in a . China has retaliated, between the economic superpowers. The Brits, long proud of their 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥� with the United States,
It鈥檚 as if President Donald Trump has flung a bag of marbles across the global stage, under the feet of foreign leaders who have often stepped together through eight decades of postwar global order.
Everyone, it seems, is responding to Trump 鈥� even Australia鈥檚 leader, when asked last week for his thoughts only a few hours after Trump announced the US would 鈥渢ake over鈥� the decimated Gaza Strip and turn it into the
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to, as Australia鈥檚 prime minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the U.S. president,鈥� Anthony Albanese told reporters.
Acknowledged publicly or not, world leaders are watching Trump鈥檚 wood-chipper approach to some American government institutions and wondering about those of the post-Cold War order: What of the U.S. roles in NATO, the United Nations, the World Bank and other pillars of the international order? On U.S.-controlled NATO, Trump has long of the pact and members of the alliance that fail to meet defense-spending goals. On his first day back in the Oval Office, Trump began to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization for the second time, an act that would leave the U.N. agency without its biggest donor. WHO鈥檚 leaders and asked diplomats . A German envoy worried: 鈥淭he roof is on fire.鈥�
鈥淭rump鈥檚 actions portend a permanent shift in the landscape 鈥� not just a switch that flips back in four years鈥� time,鈥� wrote Heather Hurlburt, a political and international affairs expert with Chatham House, a think tank in London.
Outside of leadership circles, anyone who depends on U.S. aid for food and medicine is coming to grips with the life-and-death implications of not having it and its six-decade mission to stabilize countries by providing humanitarian aid. The Vatican charity ,
鈥淲e鈥檙e waiting for the decisions, but we are not very, I would say, optimistic,鈥� said Arjana Qosaj Mustafa of the Kosovo Women鈥檚 Network, an umbrella group of 140 NGOs. 鈥淏ut nevertheless, we are resilient. So we鈥檒l try to do our best.鈥�
Emboldened by his reelection and with help from presidential friend Elon Musk, Trump has unleashed his signature chaos by distraction on the world.
A story of 鈥榝looding the zone鈥� and examples set
Presidential orders and utterances 鈥� 鈥� occur at a speed that can atomize opposition. No one person or government can keep track of them all. And that, rather than clarity, is the effect of what Trump鈥檚 allies call 鈥渇looding the zone.鈥�
Got a problem with it? Trump has an answer: 鈥淔afo,鈥� short for 鈥渕ess around and find out,鈥� except the first word isn't 鈥漨ess." The president posted the acronym on social media, complete with a photo of him in a fedora and pinstripes.
Ask Colombia what happens when you say no to Trump. Its president briefly resisted planeloads of immigrants during Trump鈥檚 first week 鈥� until the 47th US president threatened the country with as much as a 50% hike in tariffs. Boom, example set.
The enforcement technique has long delighted Trump鈥檚 supporters, who turned out for him during the 2024 election heavily influenced by their anxiety over the economy and their own finances, . Trump says he鈥檚 trying to save taxpayer money and spend it on issues that align with American interests.
Take and the . The isolationist, 鈥淎merica first鈥� president says the U.S. will do so. He eventually ruled out using the military to move Gaza鈥檚 2 million people elsewhere, but his plan to develop the seaside enclave into a luxury resort apparently stands.
Never mind that friends and foes alike, from the volatile Mideast to China and the staid UK, have cast the idea as a nonstarter. Powerful of it. Or that it could jeopardize the fragile hostages-for-prisoners ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Egypt鈥檚 peace deal with Israel. It could violate international law, too.
Also, Palestinians streaming back to what once were their homes after 15 months of relentless air raids overwhelmingly say they鈥檙e not leaving. But , with leaders there taking care to say leaving would be 鈥渧oluntary鈥� rather than forced expulsion, which would be a war crime.
World leaders scramble to lead
鈥淲e are not a bad ally,鈥� Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen found it necessary to tell reporters last week, like other leaders on their heels as they respond to the Trump administration.
In this case, according to the Copenhagen Post, Frederiksen was responding to comments by Vice President JD Vance on Fox News鈥� 鈥淪unday Morning Futures,鈥� that the EU and NATO member nation was 鈥渘ot being a good ally.鈥� He repeated that an American acquisition of Greenland was 鈥減ossible.鈥�
That came after Frederiksen had flown to European capitals last month to urge other countries on the continent to respond with one voice against Trump鈥檚 vow to make Greenland part of the United States. Denmark also has legislation to crack down on racism toward Greenlanders and has sent $2 billion to the Arctic island for its security.
Federiksen also shared a photo on Facebook Jan. 26 of European leaders dining at her home, with the caption: 鈥淲e have always stood together in the Nordic countries. And with the new and more unpredictable reality in which we are facing, good and close alliances and friendships have only become more important.鈥�
The sentiment is spreading to larger groups. A recent meeting of EU leaders in Brussels that was supposed to be about boosting defense against the Russian threat became very much about Trump.
鈥淲e have to do everything to avoid this totally unnecessary and stupid tariff war or trade war,鈥� . He said Trump鈥檚 threats of tariffs on the EU amount to 鈥渁 serious test鈥� of European unity, and 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time where we have such a problem among allies.鈥� Europe's leaders said they were going to wait to see the details of what Trump is proposing.
In Greenland, meanwhile, Trump鈥檚 remarks have fueled a generational fight for full independence from Denmark and become a key issue ahead of elections in March. Some of its leaders have said the world鈥檚 largest island, home to 57,000 people, doesn鈥檛 want to be part of the United States or Denmark.
鈥淭he unfortunate rhetoric has caused a lot of worry and concern not only in Greenland but the rest of the Western Alliance,鈥� Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenland鈥檚 minister of business and trade, told The Associated Press.
The feelings are not, however, unanimous. Europe鈥檚 far-right leaders applauded Trump鈥檚 agenda Those gathered included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italy鈥檚 Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen and others.
Some leaders downplayed Trump鈥檚 threat to hike tariffs on European imports, saying that the EU鈥檚 taxes and regulations pose bigger dangers to the region鈥檚 prosperity. But every speaker touched on illegal immigration, as painful and divisive in Europe as it is in the United States.
Le Pen said the Patriots for Europe group had the best chance of working with Trump. 鈥淲e," Le Pen said, 鈥渁re the only ones that can talk with the new Trump administration.鈥�
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Associated Press reporter Florent Bajrami contributed from Pristina. Kosovo.
Laurie Kellman, The Associated Press
