Leaked Trump administration chat calling Europeans ‘pathetic’ sparks outrage among US allies

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

A leak of private messages among senior Trump administration officials has ignited diplomatic fury across Europe and the UK, after US Vice President JD Vance and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were revealed to have disparaged European allies as “free-loading” and “PATHETIC” during internal deliberations about US airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, Politico reported.

The leak, reported by The Atlantic, came after its editor-in-chief was mistakenly added to the Signal group chat where top US officials were debating the cost and benefit of military intervention in the Red Sea. Vance’s complaint that he hated “bailing out Europe again” led to Hegseth’s blunt response slamming European defence contributions.

The fallout was swift and intense. A UK diplomat called the episode “wild,” noting that Vance's posture had cornered even President Trump into taking a harsher line to avoid looking “weaker” than his vice president. British officials tried to minimize the damage publicly, but frustration was palpable behind the scenes.

Former UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps rebuked the US officials, reminding them that the UK had conducted multiple RAF airstrikes and deployed the Royal Navy to defend Red Sea shipping lanes. “Some in DC need reminding,” he said, calling for re-education on allied contributions.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey went further, mocking Vance and his colleagues: “They clearly aren’t fit to run a group chat, let alone the world’s strongest military force.”

European diplomats, speaking anonymously, expressed dismay but little surprise. “It’s sobering to see the way they speak about Europe when they think no one is listening,” said one EU diplomat. Another added that while the Trump administration’s current posture damages trust, the transatlantic alliance might yet be restored in the future: “There is no alliance without trust… Europe has to do much more because it has no other choice.”

European officials were particularly incensed that while US officials discussed how to “make Europe remunerate” America for the operation, Britain had already contributed aircraft to support the airstrikes. “We haven’t received the bill yet,” one senior EU official said pointedly.

Though the White House has not commented publicly, the episode has stoked fresh concerns among European governments over the reliability of the US as a security partner under Trump 2.0 — and the long-term health of the NATO alliance.