Sean Spicer may have tried to filibuster criticism of President Trump’s foreign trip during today’s White House briefing, but calling this trip “extraordinarily successful and historic” would be best described as an alternate fact. The reality is, President Trump botched his first foreign trip with a series of missteps, some comical but many endangering our relationships with our allies and the national security interests of Americans. Reports from all over the globe have documented President Trump’s failures and the fallout from his bumbling week abroad, revealing fissures that were quickly made but may prove impossible to repair.

 

Since President Trump’s foreign trip, U.S. allies have been deeply critical of Trump and about the negative impacts of his policies.

 

President Emmanuel Macron on Trump: “Donald Trump, the Turkish president or the Russian president see relationships in terms of a balance of power. That doesn’t bother me. I don’t believe in diplomacy by public abuse, but in my bilateral dialogues I won’t let anything pass.”

 

Chancellor Merkel on meeting with Trump: “The times when we could completely rely on others are, to an extent over. I experienced that in the last few days, and therefore I can only say that we Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands.”

 

German Foreign Minister: “Anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk.”

 

European Council President Donald Tusk: “I am not 100% sure that we can say today…that we have a common position, common opinion, about Russia.”

 

 

And media reports have shared widespread global concern about the direction of Trump’s White House, his decisions, and his ability to lead.

 

Los Angeles Times: “Trump returns to an increasingly troubled White House and criticism from allies”

 

USA Today: “Allies distance themselves from U.S. after Trump’s first foreign trip.”

 

USA Today: “Netanyahu warned that a Trump-brokered peace negotiation with the Palestinians ‘comes at a price.’ And while he welcomed U.S. support for Israel, he emphasized that ‘there is no such thing as innocent gifts.’”

 

Washington Post: “Following Trump’s trip, Merkel says Europe can’t rely on ‘others.’ She means the U.S.”

 

USA Today: “British Prime Minister Theresa May is upset that American intelligence officials leaked information about the Manchester concert bombing to the media. Trump acknowledged that he got an earful from May, tweeting Sunday that she was ‘very angry’ about the leaks.”

 

Politico: “[European Commission President] Juncker took an early pot shot at Trump by saying they wanted to ‘build bridges, not walls.’”

 

Trump was a roadblock to policy consensus among G7 and NATO allies by refusing to commit the U.S. to shared goals on climate, trade, migration and defense issues.

 

Reuters: “G7 ends with Trump pitted against the leaders of Europe on a number of key issues”

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: “[The discussion on climate change was] very unsatisfactory…we have a situation of six against one.” 

 

USA Today: “But in Europe, Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policy appeared to alienate other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”

 

“At a ceremony meant to solemnize the collective defense provision of the NATO charter in Brussels, Trump failed to explicitly reassure European allies that the U.S. would come to their aid in the event of an attack. Instead, he renewed his complaints that they were not paying their fair share. (In doing so, he misrepresented the commitment by NATO allies to spend at least 2% of their economies on defense.)”

 

Foreign Policy: “the Donald Trump White House has largely blocked its Italian host from putting forward an initiative addressing the need to resettle millions of refugees and migrants who have poured into Europe…”

 

Foreign Policy: “Italy’s Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni met Wednesday with President Trump in Rome and made a last-ditch effort to persuade the American president to soften his opposition to resettling more refugees in the United States… It remains unclear how Trump responded.”

 

Politico: “Trump’s Hazy Views Confuse Allies Ahead Of Summit”

 

Politico: “President Donald Trump’s vague stances on climate and trade have frustrated U.S. allies just days before a major international summit in Italy, senior French and Italian officials said.”

 

Trump’s behavior on his foreign trip further alienated other world leaders.

 

State Department Official: “When it comes to diplomacy, President Trump is a drunk tourist,” a State Department official told the Daily Beast. “Loud and tacky, shoving his way around the dance floor. He steps on others without realizing it. It’s ineffectual.”

 

Times of Israel: “An angry Trump yelled at Abbas during their talks last Tuesday for his alleged direct involvement in incitement against Israel, … ‘You tricked me in DC! You talked there about your commitment to peace, but the Israelis showed me your involvement in incitement [against Israel].”

 

New York Times: “Trump Appears To Push Aside The Leader Of Montenegro”

 

New York Times: “Video footage of world leaders at a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday shows President Trump appearing to push his way past the Montenegrin prime minister, Dusko Markovic, as he made his way to the front of the group.” 

 

Times of London: “Out Of Step: G7 Leaders Take A Stroll, Trump Takes A Golf Cart”

 

Times of London: “They [Theresa May and the leaders of Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Canada] walked the 700 yards from the traditional G7 group photo… but Mr Trump stayed behind until he could take a seat in the electric vehicle [golf cart].  He had been the last to arrive for the photo, keeping the others waiting at the amphitheatre.”

 

Washington Free Beacon: “Trump Refers To Trudeau As ‘Justin From Canada’”