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BERLIN — Before the New York Times published a column last week about President Donald Trump being an “infantalist,” the authoritative German broadsheet Die Welt produced a front page with a bold headline: The Child in the White House.

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Those damning words sum up the profound dread that western and central Europeans have about Trump as his scandal-prone first overseas tour left the Middle East for Europe Tuesday. It is Europe that is at the heart of the of the 20,000 km trip, and the setting where there is the most potential for Trump to get in trouble.

Hopscotching across the continent to visit the Vatican and attend the NATO and G7 summits may give the president fresh opportunities to insult and anger close allies, as he did during his initial dealings with the leaders of Australia and Germany.

The sense in Europe is that the more America’s best friends know about Trump, the less they trust him or expect anything good from him.