The notion of a “special relationship” between Britain and America has long been considered more myth than reality, a sentiment recently underscored by Peter Hitchens. He noted the lack of surprise over former President Donald Trump’s move to sideline European allies in pursuit of acquiring Greenland.
On a recent Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to declare that eight European nations, including the UK, would face a new 10% tariff. This was in response to their deployment of troops to the Arctic territory, a move that came amid Trump’s threats of military action.
Trump further warned that these tariffs could escalate to 25% by June if NATO allies failed to back his controversial plan to purchase Greenland.
In a discussion with fellow Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine, Hitchens expressed bewilderment at the general astonishment toward Trump’s threats, describing America as historically expansionist and unafraid to pressure its allies.
“I don’t know why everyone’s so surprised,” Hitchens remarked during the Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast.
The special relationship between the UK and US has always been a myth and it should come as no surprise that Trump is willing to throw his allies under a bus, Peter Hitchens has argued
Hitchens said he couldn’t understand why people have been taken aback by Trump’s threats, arguing America has always been an expansionist power perfectly willing to bully its friends
He further commented on the superficial camaraderie between the British and Americans, asserting, “There’s a lot of fake bonhomie. We’ve always been rivals in a rivalry we lost. They are not our friends, they never were and never will be.”
‘The thing I found when I lived in America was that most people didn’t care – they didn’t know where Britain was. In many cases, they were even unaware of the language connection between us.
‘There’s no great, abiding friendship. The US is an expansionist and violent country.’
Vine said that while she now expects Trump to behave in an ‘incredibly childish and silly way’, she was surprised the UK was included in his tariff threats.
Growing up in an era when Reagan and Thatcher appeared closely aligned on the world stage, Vine said she had always believed there was a genuine bond between the two nations.
Hitchens countered: ‘Trump has his mother and the golf course, but that’s not really enough to shape national policy, is it?
‘On the issue of Greenland itself, I am more ambivalent. I do not think Denmark has treated the territory very well and its claim to it is pretty slender.
‘There is also precedent for this: the US Virgin Islands used to belong to Denmark and America bought them. If they can sell that, surely they can sell Greenland?’
On Friday, the US President announced that eight European nations, including the UK, would be subject to a new 10% tariff in retaliation for deploying troops to Greenland
But for all Trump’s bluster, Hitchens noted, he backs down when confronted by harder opponents like China.
He argued this reflects America’s broader decline: the country has lost much of its economic and diplomatic power in recent decades, even as it maintains overwhelming military strength.
‘America is now this deformed creature,’ Hitchens said.
‘It is immensely powerful militarily. That power used to reflect its economic and political might, but it doesn’t anymore. It has the power of force, but nothing like the diplomatic clout it used to.
‘The United States is becoming weaker in general and I think the end result of that will be that it will not be able to maintain an army on the scale it has now.’
To listen to the debate in full, search for Alas Vine & Hitchens now, wherever you get your podcasts.
