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Europe Is Preparing for Life Without America (w/ Richard Stengel) | How to Fix It

2026-04-19 News & Politics
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The Bulwark
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Description

John Avlon talks with Rick Stengel about the global fallout from Trump’s war with Iran, how it’s damaging America’s reputation, and why allies are starting to move on without us. They discuss the collapse of U.S. soft power, the risks of going it alone, and the stunning election in Hungary that shows how voters can still push back against authoritarianism. I was the US soft power czar. Our reputation may never recover from this https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng- interactive/2026/apr/05/american-soft-power-iran-war Podcast - Mandela: The Lost Tapes https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mandela-the-lost-tapes/id1719807119 Nelson Mandela Leadership Fellowship https://colinpowellschool.ccny.cuny.edu/fellowships/nelson-mandela-leadership-fellowship/

Top Comments (10)

@AnAngryAngel 2026-04-19

How can anyone trust America? You sign an agreement with one president, then 4 years later, a new president rips it up!

211 48 replies
@wendywilson-fall3230 2026-04-19

People in Europe and Asia will not forget our behavior and will not risk counting on us for a long time.

167 17 replies
@adrianmiles2814 2026-04-19

🇬🇧 I don’t think it will ever be the same again

151 24 replies
@brightonbabe2139 2026-04-19

Also cutting aid with no notice and not even delivering food that was in transit really broke the trust and people died.

106 5 replies
@toma9976 2026-04-19

JFC, this isn’t about the “ugly American”. Trump is currently destroying countries all over the world with his illegal war and high oil prices. Countries in SE Asia are actually shutting down because of trump. This isn’t a rudeness, this is an economic war on the entire world!

106 4 replies
@dayvyg 2026-04-19

I won't ever trust America again until they strip away much of the President's power. Why can one person veto something that passes through Congress? Why was Trump able to attack Venezuela and Iran without the approval of Congress? Why was Trump still allowed to be President when he's a convicted felon? The questions go on and on...America has spent too much time slapping itself on the back as being the best country in the world with best democracy...yada yada yada. America needs to take a good hard look at itself.

81 6 replies
@seanwalsh72 2026-04-19

The world has come to realize that the US cannot be trusted. Europe, Canada and the rest of the US's former allies will need to forge a path forward without the United States.

59 7 replies
@rolfehorne1624 2026-04-19

Why is the whole discussion expressed in terms of power. How about decency and respect?

40 2 replies
@timeglas 2026-04-19

from Denmark: the reputation of the US is totally destroyed and our military intelligence defined the US as a threat in their 2025 assessment. It will take generations to just normalize.

33 12 replies
@Rammlied_best_show_opener 2026-04-19

We in Europe and the rest of the world are just moving on. There was a world before the US and there will be a world after US supremacy. 🇩🇪🇪🇺

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