U.S. President Donald Trump's actions on his trip to Europe — not affirming NATO's Article 5 guarantee of collective security, picking fights with Germany's leadership, shoving Montenegro's prime minister out of his way, and more — went poorly enough, but maybe worse is the fact that European leaders can score domestic points by overtly breaking with Trump.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments at a campaign event in Bavaria where she overtly expressed distrust with United States were notable less because of their geopolitical implications and more because breaking with Trump has domestic benefits for leaders of industrialized liberal democracies. European leaders are already trolling Trump and mainstream political leaders can use their opposition to Trump and what he represents to help secure their domestic political base.
Except in Japan. In contrast with Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought out — and so far enjoyed — a close personal relationship with Trump, visiting him at Trump Tower just weeks after his election, enjoying golf at Mar-a-Lago and speaking on the phone fairly regularly. Abe's charm offensive has apparently been so successful that Trump once asked a room full of House members why can't they be more like Abe.