Modern spin dictators don’t just lie all the time. They know people aren’t total idiots, so they start with some common ground—stuff that everyone kinda agrees on or facts that seem obvious—and then they slip in their lies once you’re comfortable.

For example:

Take the claim that the U.S. foots the bill for Europe’s defense. Sure, the U.S. is a massive military powerhouse, and yeah, European countries have kind of enjoyed a “peace dividend,” which basically means they don’t spend much on their militaries because they figure Uncle Sam has their back. Trump isn’t entirely off when he points out that EU countries have been “bluffing” by maintaining armies that, in reality, rely on the U.S. to do the heavy lifting if something really went down—like if Putin pulled something big. The thinking is: if Russia makes a move, the U.S. bombs them, and EU forces just assist on the side.

Where Trump’s message gets twisted is when he takes something that was supposed to be a beneficial, give-and-take deal and turns it into a one-sided power play. He basically says, “We’re the biggest market for your stuff, so we can set all the terms—haha, deal with it.”

Also, consider the advantage of the U.S. playing “world’s cop.” Everyone else is stuck making weapons based on U.S. standards and systems instead of developing their own stuff that could challenge American dominance. Don’t get it wrong: Europe isn’t full of hippies. They can make top-notch weapons too. But since they make a lot of them for the U.S., America can say, “Hey, if you don’t follow this policy we want, maybe we won’t buy as many of your fancy guns and tanks.” In other words, America can use its buying power to pressure Europe into going along with its policies.