British Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch had some unkind things to say about Donald J. Trump.

The unflattering assessment became known only because of leaked memos. Darroch called the Trump administration “inept,” and “incompetent” and assorted other mean things.

The president’s response? He has not been a “fan” of Darroch, who he said has not served the United Kingdom well. He has declared, too, that he is done dealing with the envoy representing one of this nation’s strongest and — until this moment — most reliable international allies.

I am wracking my noggin trying to remember when I’ve ever heard a president of the United States and a leading allied diplomat trade barbs like this. To be candid, the Brit’s remarks weren’t intended for Trump’s eyes and ears; they were meant to be kept internally, within the British foreign ministry. Trump, though, has taken this fight into the public arena, which is he prone to do no matter what.

I am beside myself trying to understand how this continual back-and-forth between Donald Trump and our allies furthers the cause of international diplomacy and understanding. Or how it strengthens this nation.

Or, for that matter, how it makes America great.