Trump Claims EU Leaders Refer to Him as “President of Europe”
Donald Trump stated on Monday that leaders of the European Union have “jokingly” called him “the president of Europe,” reflecting a complicated relationship between the US and Europe during ongoing geopolitical tensions, reports 24brussels.
Trump made these remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, emphasizing his affinity for Europe and its leaders. “They [EU leaders] jokingly call me the president of Europe,” he said. “Which is an honour. I like Europe. And I like those people. They’re good people. They’re great leaders.”
These comments come in the wake of a crucial meeting involving seven European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who gathered with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to urge Trump to maintain diplomatic and military support for Kyiv amid its conflict with Russia.
The delegation’s visit to the White House followed Trump’s surprising summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which stirred concern among EU officials as it marked his first face-to-face interaction with the Kremlin leader since 2019.
“And we’ve never had a case where seven plus really 28, essentially 35, 38 countries were represented here the other day – 38 European and other countries were represented,” Trump noted, underlining the significance of the gathering.
Accompanying Zelenskyy in his US trip were prominent figures such as France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, the UK’s Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Marke Rutte.
The European Commission chose not to comment on Trump’s assertions regarding their discussions.
