Kind words and the red carpet were saved for Putin, while NATO allies were disdainfully scolded and hit with tariffs for having treated the United States poorly for decades. A constant series of threats were delivered to do as commanded or lose the United States from the fragile North Atlantic alliance.

And then the United States, with Israel as its partner, went to war. The other nations of the Middle East were neither asked nor warned that missiles and drones would soon be landing at their airports, oil infrastructure or cities. They were not told that their futball matches and F1 races would be canceled. They had no vote in the matter. But they got bombed anyway.

When help was considered, Trump smacked it in the face to prove how manly and winning he was.

A week ago today, Trump told UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer his help was neither needed nor wanted, because Trump had already won the war. Good times. pic.twitter.com/ZOKUfYfSLQ

— Scott Greenfield (@ScottGreenfield) March 15, 2026

Despite claiming time and again, from the day after the war began to today, that we already won the war, the Straight of Hormuz was closed to ships carrying oil, fertilizer and petro chemicals to anywhere Iran didn’t approve, with catastrophic consequences for the other Middle Eastern nations, Europe and the United States. While Trump and Hegseth insisted that they had a plan

Faced with the unfortunate reality that constituted the “fake news” that so displeased Trump that his lacky at the FCC threated to deny broadcasters their licenses, Trump first made his trademark contradictory claim that other nations would rush to serve him, minions as they all are to the newly most “respected” and “hottest” United States.

When no one came running, Trump dipped back into the NATO threat pool, saying NATO faces a “very bad future” if they don’t save him from his incompetent handling of this war of choice.

It’s in the interest of NATO and the 14 Gulf states to have the Strait of Hormuz open, even if it will take months to correct the economic devastation wrought by Trump’s failure to plan for this obvious contingency. But it means that other nations will put their navies and troops at risk to compensate for Trump’s hubris of starting a war without first establishing a coalition of the willing. So here he is, desperately seeking to create a coalition of the nations he has offended and demeaned, by extorting them upon threat of NATO’s demise.

At least they can be comforted by the fact that Trump will declare victory when he “feels it in his bones,” since there has never been a concrete goal to his military adventurism, no matter what has, or has not, been achieved.