INTERNACIONAL
Trump ‘right to be outraged’ by Europe’s betrayal on Iran, says former Thatcher advisor
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As President Donald Trump continues to express anger at NATO European allies for their lack of help in the war with Iran, he’s making clear their behavior comes at a cost.
In the weeks during the war and since the ceasefire, the president has hit back not just with words but with definitive actions against several of those countries.
Germany
On Saturday, Trump said that he would withdraw more than the initial 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany as stated by the Pentagon, after Berlin’s leader denigrated the American effort to stop Iran’s regime from building a nuclear weapon.
TRUMP WEIGHS PULLING US TROOPS FROM GERMANY AMID CLASH WITH CHANCELLOR OVER IRAN WAR
President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026, to discuss issues including recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A day earlier he said about Germany that «We’re gonna cut way down. We’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.» The Trump administration previously announced a contraction of 5,000 troops in Germany after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran’s regime «humiliated» Trump.
In an apparent state of panic, Merz walked back his attack on Trump and his Iran strategy on Sunday. The chancellor wrote on X: «The United States is and will remain Germany‘s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.»
Trump ratcheted up his troop reduction number against Germany amid his comments about downsizing U.S. boots on the ground in Spain and Italy because they failed to aid America in the war against Iran. The president’s anger at Western European countries has been simmering for weeks and could lead to profound changes in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
TRUMP CRITICIZES SPAIN AMID IRAN, NATO RIFT AS PM SANCHEZ FACES QUESTIONS OVER POLITICAL MOTIVES
Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, «The lack of support for the United States has been nothing less than treacherous. I think the president has the right to be outraged by the lack of support from key European allies.»
An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes on March 3, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
He said, «There is a very deep-seated cultural appeasement in Europe towards the Iranian regime that goes back many decades, and a flat-out refusal to accept the reality of the immense dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. European leaders are sleepwalking toward destruction with this perilous path they have taken.
TRUMP IS RIGHT ABOUT NATO’S WEAKNESS — THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW DOES AMERICA FIX IT
«The lack of support for the United States is how far Europe has gone toward losing its moral compass. Iran is a genocidal regime that threatens to wipe Israel off the map.» He noted that the Islamic Republic has killed huge numbers of its population.
Gardiner, a former advisor to Lady Thatcher said, «If you listen to European leaders, it’s as if the U.S. is the villain here.»
Merz, speaking last week in Marsberg, criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, saying Washington was being «humiliated by the Iranian leadership» and expressing hope the conflict would end «as quickly as possible.»
Gardiner said of Merz’s remarks that, «comments like these actually help the propaganda of the Iranian dictatorship. It is astonishing that a German chancellor would make these kinds of remarks at a time of war…and the German chancellor is giving comfort to the Iranian regime. It is disgusting.»
Numerous Fox News Digital press queries sent to Merz’s spokesman Stefan Kornelius were not returned.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the U.S. conflict with Iran «reckless» and «unjust.» (Yves Herman/Reuters)
Spain and Italy
Before his announcement on the troop withdrawal from Germany, and in response to a question about reducing U.S. troops in Spain and Italy, Trump responded, «I mean, they haven’t been exactly on board. Yeah, probably. Yeah, I probably will… Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible.»
Spain’s socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has taken a belligerent stand against the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, forbidding the U.S. from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action. He has decried the campaign as illegal while staying quiet on the regime’s murder of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.
Gardiner said, «The Spanish have been the worst by a long way. At least the Germans and Italy have allowed the use of its own bases. The Spanish have refused to cooperate in any way with the war.»
Trump told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last month about the country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that «I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.»
The Europe expert, Gardiner, sees a wide gulf between how mainly Western European countries and the United States view the preservation of Western civilization, freedom, democracy and liberty.
French President Emmanuel Macron listens to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a working session with world leaders at the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, on June 13, 2024. (Andrew Medichini/AP)
«Europe has lost both its ability and its will to fight. The United States is clearly willing to fight to defend Western civilization and the free world. Much of Europe has given up on this, especially Western Europe. It is an appeasement mindset cojoined with weakness and pacifism and also a growing acceptance by European leaders of mass migration and Islamification.»
He added, «Europe has fundamentally changed over the last twenty years beyond recognition, and yet Europe’s ruling elites accept it seemingly as a fact, with some notable exceptions.»
France and the UK
Trump took the United Kingdom and France in March to task for their postioning on the war against Iran.
«The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
«France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!,» he wrote.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Feb. 17, 2025, before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security. (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump also wrote, «All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you.»
«Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.»
«You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!»
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Gardiner said the crisis over the Iran war shows that Europe has surrendered. The big Western Europeans have embraced «defeatism,» and «they do not care. It is as simple as that. And future generations will have to pay the price for the course Europe is taking now,» he said.
Fox News’ Brittany Miller and Solly Boussidan contributed to this report.
war with iran, donald trump, nato, germany, france, united kingdom
INTERNACIONAL
Honduras condena ataques contra Kuwait y Bahréin y pide evitar una mayor escalada en Oriente Medio
El Gobierno de Honduras condenó los ataques atribuidos a la República Islámica de Irán contra el Estado de Kuwait y el Reino de Bahréin. A través de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores y Cooperación Internacional, expresó su solidaridad con ambos países, sus condolencias a las familias de las víctimas y su preocupación por las consecuencias humanas y materiales.
La administración hondureña difundió su posición oficial en medio de llamados de distintos gobiernos a la moderación ante el riesgo de una escalada en Oriente Medio.
“La República de Honduras expresa su firme condena a los ataques atribuidos a la República Islámica de Irán contra el Estado de Kuwait y el Reino de Bahréin, que han puesto en riesgo la vida y la seguridad de la población civil de ambos países”, señaló el Gobierno en su posicionamiento oficial.
Además de condenar los ataques, el Gobierno hondureño reiteró principios de su política exterior vinculados con el respeto a la soberanía de los Estados, la integridad territorial y la solución pacífica de las controversias.
Las autoridades señalaron que la enfrenta el desafío de evitar una nueva escalada de violencia en una región que durante décadas ha sido escenario de conflictos políticos, militares y religiosos con repercusiones globales.
Para Honduras, la preservación de la paz y la estabilidad internacional requiere el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos diplomáticos y del diálogo entre las partes involucradas.
En ese sentido, el comunicado oficial hizo un llamado urgente a la contención e instó a todos los actores a actuar con prudencia para evitar decisiones que puedan incrementar las hostilidades o ampliar el alcance del conflicto.
Los hechos ocurridos en Kuwait y Bahréin generaron preocupación entre gobiernos, organismos multilaterales y analistas internacionales por el delicado equilibrio político existente en Oriente Medio.
La región concentra intereses estratégicos vinculados con el comercio mundial, las rutas energéticas y la seguridad internacional, por lo que cualquier episodio de confrontación suele ser seguido con atención por la comunidad global.
Aunque Honduras se encuentra geográficamente distante del escenario del conflicto, la Cancillería considera que la paz y la seguridad internacionales son responsabilidades compartidas y que hechos de esta naturaleza requieren una respuesta firme en defensa de los principios establecidos por el derecho internacional.
Uno de los puntos del pronunciamiento hondureño fue la reafirmación de su compromiso con los principios consagrados en la Carta de las Naciones Unidas.
El Gobierno recordó que la convivencia pacífica entre las naciones debe sustentarse en el respeto mutuo, la cooperación internacional y la búsqueda de soluciones negociadas ante cualquier controversia.
También reiteró que el uso de la fuerza y las acciones que ponen en peligro a la población civil deben evitarse mediante el fortalecimiento de los canales diplomáticos y el cumplimiento de los compromisos internacionales asumidos por los Estados.
El mensaje de Honduras incluyó una expresión de solidaridad hacia Kuwait y Bahréin, cuyos gobiernos atraviesan momentos de incertidumbre tras los recientes acontecimientos.
Las autoridades hondureñas señalaron que comparten el dolor de las familias afectadas por la violencia y reiteraron su respaldo a las acciones encaminadas a proteger a la población civil y restablecer las condiciones de seguridad.
El pronunciamiento también reflejó la preocupación por las consecuencias humanitarias que suelen derivarse de los conflictos armados, especialmente cuando impactan zonas urbanas o infraestructura esencial para el funcionamiento de los servicios públicos.
Politics,Top News,Europe
Senate scraps border and ICE funding vote
Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the pushback against President Donald Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization fund’ on ‘The Bottom Line.’
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President Donald Trump’s nearly $70 billion immigration enforcement package has entered uncertain waters as the Senate embarks on a marathon of votes that could blow up the legislation.
At the heart of the issue is the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) now-defunct nearly $2 billion «anti-weaponization» fund. It’s another rare instance where both sides of the aisle are frustrated with the administration, and it could spell doom for the broader bill.
That’s because Democrats and Republicans are lining up amendments to ensure the fund is dead, to varying degrees.
GOP ADVANCES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE AFTER FORCING TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND INTO RETREAT
President Donald Trump listens to members of his Cabinet during a meeting in the White House Cabinet Room in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Senate Republican leadership is hopeful that they can prevent those amendments from surviving during the newly launched «vote-a-rama,» but success isn’t guaranteed. One positive for the GOP is that every Republican voted for the package in its first procedural hurdle Wednesday afternoon.
«I feel good going into it,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. «But, you know, you got a lot of conversations with our members [who] understand what’s at stake, how critical it is that we defeat amendments that would be corrosive to the bill or undermine in any way its privilege.»
One issue is that should an amendment targeting the fund pass, it could remove the reconciliation package’s ability to advance with just a simple majority of votes. That would effectively give Democrats a win in killing the package outright.
Whether the amendments will be considered under a simple majority or 60-vote threshold could change the landscape and will ultimately be up to the Senate rules referee to determine whether they comply with the Byrd rule, which undergirds the reconciliation process.
GOP DEMANDS TRUMP KILL CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND BEFORE REVIVING ICE FUNDING PACKAGE
Republicans believed that those add-ons would hit that 60-vote mark, giving them a little bit of breathing room.
«I mean, you never know with 100% accuracy,» Thune said. «There are a lot of creative ways of drafting amendments, but we feel pretty confident that most of those would be at 60.»
The fund, announced last month as part of a settlement between the Trump family and the Internal Revenue Service, received strong pushback from Republicans who feared that without proper guardrails, people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill could access the taxpayer funds.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., whose main job is to wrangle and twist the arms of wary Republicans to vote for the package, put the primary blame on Senate Democrats as fractures in the GOP simmered.
GOP LEVERAGES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE TO MAKE TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND ‘NEVER EXIST’
«The Democrats continue to talk about everything they want to talk about, except actually securing the border and protecting the American people,» Barrasso said. «They’re gonna come with all sorts of things, all in an effort to delay our efforts to support the American people and keep them safe and secure.»
But there are Republicans who will have their own anti-weaponization fund amendments. So far, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., two lawmakers who are increasingly prone to break with Trump, have teed up add-ons to address the fund.
There is the option to deal with the fund outside of reconciliation, too.
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Cassidy, who Trump successfully just ousted from office, didn’t say which route he would prefer, but wanted «something which just makes it sure that somebody doesn’t change their mind in the White House, it doesn’t come back.»
Tillis contended that there were enough Republicans with concerns over the fund that something needed to be done, but wanted it to be a GOP-led initiative. He’s not picky about whether his amendment gets a shot either.
«I don’t care about my own personal amendment,» Tillis said. «There’s a few out there, as long as one touching on the issue gets there. I’m not gonna slow leadership down. I wouldn’t do anything to make it as corrosive to the underlying bill so that it loses privilege. But we gotta do this.»
politics, homeland security, republicans, senate elections, democrats senate, donald trump
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