 "'We respect the choice of Americans': EU fires back at Trump with a 'behave' advice")
European Council President António Costa has asked US President Donald Trump to show “respect” to the bloc after he called Europe a “decaying” group of countries ruled by “weak” leaders.
“We respect the choice of Americans, and they need to respect the democratic choices of our citizens. When all the leaders elect me President of the European Council, President Trump must respect this. As we respect that American citizens elected him President of the United States. It is like this, that allies behave with each other,” Costa said.
In response to Trump's scathing statements on Europe, European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho, said, “We are very pleased and grateful to have excellent leaders, starting with the leader in this house, president of the European Commission von der Leyen, who we are really proud of, who can lead us in the many challenges that the world is facing.”
What did Trump say?
In an interview with Politico, Trump accused long-standing US allies of failing to curb migration or bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, and signalled that he is prepared to endorse European political figures who share his policy views.
“I think they’re weak,” Trump said of Europe’s political leaders. “But I also think that they want to be so politically correct.”
“I think they don’t know what to do,” he added. “Europe doesn’t know what to do.”
The remarks amount to Trump’s strongest public attack yet on European political leadership, escalating tensions with countries such as France and Germany, whose relations with his administration are already deeply strained.
Despite turmoil at home, Trump continues to exert significant influence on international affairs.
European capitals were recently unsettled by the release of Trump’s new National Security Strategy, a provocative document that positioned his administration against the mainstream European political establishment and vowed to “cultivate resistance” to the European status quo on immigration and other contentious issues.
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