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Expert: Post Helsinki Europe may drift from U.S. orbit

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The spectacle of President Trump denouncing his own intelligence agencies on the world stage has transfixed the Europeans.
Robert English, Deputy Director of USC’s School of International Relations, a former Pentagon analyst and expert on Russia, says Europeans are not so much alarmed about what happened in Helsinki between Presidents Trump and Putin as they are fascinated by the drama in Washington D.C.
“Not just John McCain and the usual independent Republicans, but now Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Fox News, Red States; that all these reliable supporters have all spoken out and this is like Watergate; what is happening in American politics? That this is maybe a tipping point in Trump’s popularity.”
He says Trump’s caustic attitude towards NATO combined with his embrace of autocratic Russia may cause a long-term shift in U.S. relations with Europe
“It’s going to mean a weakened Europe, a fraying trans-Atlantic alliance and that will open the door to these right-wing currents that we see. I’m not worried about Putin moving in and grabbing the Baltics. He has no reason or interest to do that. But he can accomplish that with trade deals, with more gas sales, and Europe will kind of drift in this right wing direction.”
Robert English was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News