US President Donald Trump has condemned European leaders as “weak” and suggested he would back European politicians whose views are aligned with his own vision.
In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, Trump discussed the US economy, healthcare, the Supreme Court and migration. However, it was his statements on European leaders which really caught the eye here in Brussels.
He launched a broadside against Europe’s political class which is likely to put further strain on already tense relations between Europe and Washington. “I think they [Europe’s leaders] are weak," he said. "But I also think that they want to be so politically correct."
Trump said of European leaders: “Some are friends. Some are OK. I know the good leaders. I know the bad leaders. I know the smart ones. I know the stupid ones. You get some real stupid ones, too. But, uh, they’re not doing a good job. Europe is not doing a good job in many ways. They’re not doing a good job.”
“I think they don’t know what to do,” he added. “Europe doesn’t know what to do.”
The war in Ukraine, immigration and populist candidates
Trump said he wanted to see a “strong Europe” but argued that the continent is “being destroyed”.
“Many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer,” said the president. “Their immigration policy is a disaster.”
Trump also waded into European politics, pledging to continue backing those political candidates who shared his vision.
“I’d endorse,” Trump said. “I’ve endorsed people, but I’ve endorsed people that a lot of Europeans don’t like. I’ve endorsed Viktor Orbán.”
When asked about Europe’s efforts to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end, the president was dismissive. “They talk, but they don’t produce, and the war just keeps going on and on,” he said.
Trump offered no reassurance that the US would not abandon Ukraine and stated there was “no question” that Russia was in a stronger position than Ukraine.
The interview comes in the wake of the release of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy which vowed to “cultivate resistance” to European approaches to immigration and other hot button issues.
