Trump shows Europe that its clout is dwindling

It was widely predicted that neither Macron's personal rapport with Trump nor Merkel's more businesslike approach would sway him on policy

Europe’s preeminent leaders gave it their best shot this week. All signs are it didn’t work.

France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel made their separate ways to Washington with a joint mission: to persuade President Donald Trump to stay in the Iran nuclear accord and grant the European Union a reprieve from US tariffs on steel and aluminum.
 

Instead, Macron ended up improvising a new Iran initiative, and Merkel left the White House saying the decision on preventing a trade war was out of her hands. “The president will decide, that’s clear,” Merkel told reporters alongside Trump at the White