As an American, I just want to say sorry

Melissa Allin makes a plea to America’s allies to remember that the president does not speak and act for large swathes of the country’s population

Dear friends in the UK (if you still accept my friendship),

Please accept this as both a sincere apology from an American and a cautionary tale. If this can happen in the United States, it can happen anywhere.

I am deeply sorry for the menacing, vile actions of this administration. We’ve stood together for decades – resolving humanitarian crises and neutralising enemies. We have always had each other’s backs, and I can only imagine how confused and betrayed you must feel. Please know, the madness of the very few is not a true representation of the many.

It is a jarring experience to wake up each day to news so damaging to our national interests that it’s difficult to distinguish from intentional sabotage. We are accosted with headlines that are so egregious and un-American that they can’t be ignored. If there is a moment between “President Moves to Abolish Birthright Citizenship”, “US Imposes Sweeping Tariffs on Allies”, and “ICE Agents Fire Flash Grenade into Family’s Van”, you can only gasp for air before the next blow lands. Horrifyingly, along with President Trump’s Truth Social account being shown to have this week depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, our recent headlines have grown to include: “NATO Countries Mobilize Against Potential US Invasion”. The situation feels so unlikely that both “this is happening” and “this could never happen in the US!” run on a dual track in our minds, making us feel like we’re going mad along with the rest of them.

I’m perpetually baffled that parts of this country continue to cheer for the destruction of our democracy. This sickness has spread through our nation with the ferocity of a mutated, logic-resistant contagion. However, I can honestly say that I have never met a single US citizen with any desire to harm our allies. Approval ratings for annexing Greenland were less than 10 per cent. Even the administration’s most loyal supporters didn’t turn themselves inside out to justify an invasion, which says everything about how antithetical this behavior is to the heart of the people.

When the threats were flying, I turned to a friend and said, “What if we invaded Greenland, the inevitable war began, and their troops made it here? I love my country, but I love it enough to not help it become THAT. I can’t fight for the wrong side.” Everyone I’ve talked to feels the same. If Trump were even able to get our armed forces to follow those orders (which is unlikely), you would probably come to realise that WE are not enemies. I suspect that American citizens and our allies abroad care more for each other’s wellbeing than Trump cares for everyone combined. We are quite fond of you. Just know, if the unthinkable happened, you wouldn’t be at war with the whole of the United States.

The last few weeks alone have been earth-shaking – the Greenland threats, the ICE violence, the constitutional violations, the ongoing abuse of our closest friends. People are extremely upset. We’re flooding our representatives with calls, emails and messages. I’ve taken to sending them a song of resistance, called “Where Is the Line?”, demanding an answer. If images of our protests are aired on your networks, I hope you understand they are a message for you, too. None of this is OK. We are fighting to make it right.

While I’m sure other countries are aware of our strife, I worry that they underestimate how fractured things really are. We wonder whether we should expect a civil war, world war, revolution, or all three. I genuinely don’t know whether tomorrow will bring a spontaneous military escalation with another innocent bystander. When I asked people in my circle to estimate the chances of armed confrontation within a year, most answered with a roughly 50 per cent chance of bloodshed at home, and a staggering 70-80 per cent chance of a broader conflict. We’re not openly feuding with anyone, yet these are the odds Americans are calculating.

We are grateful to have sidestepped disaster over Greenland, but I recognise that we have caused lasting damage. If it can be repaired, it will take decades. There will be profound economic consequences that will be quite painful, but if countries aren’t looking for ways to protect themselves from the US at this moment, then they are desperate, delusional or dangerously naive. I hope that it’s not the case for much longer, but it is the truth today.