US President Donald Trump has criticised European nations as “decaying” and “weak” over their immigration policies and handling of the war in Ukraine, in an interview published on Tuesday.
Speaking to Politico from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump said Europe’s approach to migrants had been a “disaster,” adding that political correctness had weakened the continent. “Most European nations, they’re decaying. They want to be politically correct, and it makes them weak,” he said, describing some European leaders as “real stupid ones.”
The US president also addressed Ukraine, urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold elections despite the ongoing Russian invasion. Trump claimed Moscow had the “upper hand” and criticised European nations for failing to produce results in resolving the conflict.
“NATO calls me daddy,” he said, referring to remarks by the alliance’s leaders at a recent summit, before adding: “They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on.”
Trump’s remarks follow the release of the Biden administration’s new US national security strategy, which has been interpreted as critical of Europe while being relatively less stringent on Russia and China. Experts have warned that parts of the strategy echo far-right narratives, including the so-called “great replacement theory.”
France’s Minister Alice Rufo described the strategy as an “extremely brutal clarification of the ideological stance of the United States.”
Trump further singled out cities such as London, accusing Mayor Sadiq Khan of being “horrible, vicious, disgusting,” and said US citizens were increasingly relocating to London.
On Ukraine, he claimed that Zelensky had not reviewed the US plan to end the war, urging elections to restore democratic legitimacy. “I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election. It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore,” Trump said.
Zelensky responded on Tuesday, stating that Ukraine was ready for elections if security conditions were met, and that his government would provide an updated version of the US plan soon.
