Heads turned this week after U.S. President Donald Trump dropped some 🔥 takes on Europe in a Politico interview. He called the continent “decaying” and blasted European leaders as “weak” and too focused on political correctness.
“I think they don't know what to do,” Trump said during a Monday sit-down at the White House. He warned that without tougher border policies, some European states “will not be viable countries any longer,” pointing to migration pressures in cities like London and Paris.
The comments come after the Trump administration released its new National Security Strategy last Thursday, pledging to “cultivate resistance” to the European status quo on immigration and other hot-button issues. The strategy dedicates barely two and a half pages to Europe—something the Financial Times says highlights “the ideological gulf” between Washington and its allies.
Europe fired back: On Monday, European Council President Antonio Costa reminded the U.S. that “allies do not threaten to interfere in the democratic life or domestic political choices” of their partners.
Then on Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz weighed in during a press conference in Rhineland-Palatinate. He called parts of the U.S. strategy “unacceptable” and stressed that Germany and Europe must boost their own security independence. “If democracy in Europe were in danger, we would save it on our own,” Merz declared, while acknowledging the “America First” principle but urging the U.S. to remember it “needs partners in the world.”
With cracks appearing in the transatlantic bond, experts say all eyes will be on upcoming NATO and EU summits to see if both sides can close the gap or if this rift marks a new era of stronger European self-reliance. 🌐👀
Reference(s):
Trump says Europe 'decaying,' Merz vows 'more independent' EU
cgtn.com
