President Trump offered a grim assessment of America's closest allies in a new interview, dismissing European nations as "decaying" while embracing authoritarian leaders who enforce strict borders.

Why it matters: The broadside lands as Europe is already rattled by Trump's tariffs and his push for a Ukraine peace deal that European leaders fear favors Russia and marginalizes the rest of the continent.

Driving the news: In a wide-ranging sit-down with Politico's Dasha Burns, Trump backed his administration's new national security strategy, which calls for the U.S. to "cultivate resistance to Europe's current trajectory." • The White House released the strategy last week, calling it the "'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine." • "NATO calls me 'Daddy,'" Trump told Burns. "I have a l

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