Pelosi tells Nato and Europe: don't listen to Trump

Nancy Pelosi is certainly not holding back in her dismissal of Donald Trump as the emperor of the United States of America. She believes that the real power lies with those who hold the purse strings and that means her beloved Congress. Well in many ways she is right. Congress is supposed to be the one with the cash who can approve or disapprove presidential directives. But in meetings with Nato and EU officials, Pelosi, Speaker of the House, has been trying to put across a picture that is much more than about the role and power of Congress. Her messsage could not have been clearer when she met with officials in Brussels today: "Don't worry whatever Trump says or does, we will keep him in check because he can do nothing without our money." She was tring to reassure a very bruised Europe and Nato alliance which have so fallen out with the US president, they now feel quite ready to throw all caution to the wind and oppose his every move. So, when Trump demanded that Britain, Germany, France and other European nations take back their Isis nationals in prison in Syria to prosecute them, they all cried "NO". When he tweeted he was going to hoist up tariffs on cars exported from Europe to the US, Angela Merkel snorted in disgust, pointing out that Germany's fine automobile beasts, BMW and Mercedes, that were bought by devoted American inividuals and companies were manufactured in America, creating thousands of jobs. The whole of Europe said if Trump put up tariffs, they would too. This is what Pelosi was tryng to get across. This is just Trump being Trump. "Don't listen to him, listen to us at Congress." It's said this total breakdown in relations between Europe and the US executive is the worst since the invasion of Iraq, but I'm sure Pelosi's reassuring words will have helped a little bit. But by all accounts Nato ministers were not that reassured when acting US defence secretary Pat Shanahan rolled up at Nato HQ in Brussels the other day and said how much he loved them all and the alliance. Trump has made it patently clear he can't stand Nato and is fed up that the US remains the biggest troop and financial contributor to the organisation. Sorry, Mr President, but the US is an economic and military superpower, and being the Big Cheese in Nato goes with the superpower status. Enjoy it while it lasts. I agree the rest of the alliance should contribute more, but the more aggressive Trump gets towards the allies, the less chance I suspect they will want to jump. It's the same with Trump's demand for Europe to take back Isis nationals from Syria. Now I happen to agree totally with that. Of course it's the responsibility of individual nations to take back their own nationals and prosecute them for joining up with a terrorist organisation like Isis. Why should anyone else have to do it on their behalf and suffer the burden for ever? An Isis terrorist with a British passport should be sitting in a prison in Britain. But Trump has so antagonised everyone that no one wants to cooperate with him, whatever issue it is. That's how bad things are.