Being hit over the head can lead people to shed their inhibitions. It appears that prolonged exposure to Donald Trump can have the same effect. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, some western leaders dropped their normal caution and spoke with extraordinary frankness about the US and its president.
At a session on Europe, Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, told the audience: “So many red lines have been crossed [by Trump] . . . Being a happy vassal is one thing. Being a miserable slave is another. If you back down now, you are going to lose your dignity and that is probably the most valuable thing you can have in a democracy.”
The main red line that De Wever was referring to was Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex Greenland, which is part of Denmark — backed up by the implied threat of force.