Trump diplomatic text leaks from Macron and NATO leaders went public. Your private conversations with colleagues stay private because trust exists. Candid feedback about performance happens in writing you wouldn't want seen. Not scandalous, just frank. Now imagine those texts published deliberately to humiliate you.

Matt Gurney calls it malicious, cruel, manipulative. Trump's doing it because he can. International diplomacy requires privacy, personal relationships, and trust. State departments, foreign ministries, embassies execute what leaders decide based on those relationships. Canada's secret weapon: close personal ties with Americans, premiers knowing governors, families crossing borders. Only works with trust. Europe's response signals the Rubicon crossed. Symbolic military forces deploying to Greenland. France extending nuclear deterrent to protect other European countries. New NATO conversations excluding United States, potentially including Ukraine and Canada. Europeans discussing selling US Treasury holdings. Edging toward economic warfare. Matt wondered when flex in the international system would run out.

Discover why Matt compares this to relationships where people give up after one unremarkable moment. Learn what European Treasury selloff threats mean for economic stability. Understand why Canada would want to join European defensive organization if offered.

GUEST: Matt Gurney | http://readtheline.ca , @‌mattgurney

Originally aired on 2026-01-20