U.S. President Donald Trump talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

During his four years in the White House, former U.S. President Joe Biden aggressively championed the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and made it clear that he regarded European allies as vital to the United States' national security interests. But President Donald Trump, in contrast, is a frequent critic of the EU and NATO and a passionate defender of far-right ultra-nationalist figures like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and France's Marine Le Pen.

Trump had no kind words for the United States' longtime NATO allies in an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns posted on Tuesday, December 9.

Trump said of European leaders, "I think they’re weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct. I think they don't know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do."

Politico's Alexander Burns observes, "The broadside attack against European political leadership represents the president’s most virulent denunciation to date of these Western democracies, threatening a decisive rupture with countries like France and Germany that already have deeply strained relations with the Trump Administration."

Dasha Burns' Trump interview is generating a lot of reactions on X, formerly Twitter — and some of Politico's European readers were downright scathing in their comments.

Joe Lynam, business editor for NewstalkFM, tweeted, "On this occasion, Trump is correct. European leaders who bend the knee and lavish praise on Trump are indeed 'weak.' When will a European leader step up to the mic and say what everybody else is saying behind Trump‘s back?"

Colin Hull, a Church of England lay minister, argued, "I don't think Trump is any longer a reliable partner for Europe or anywhere else. Lost in his own mad ideology that betrays allies and is often inconsistent."

X user Edgar Kløvfjell posted, "The weakest presidents now is Donald Trump. Trump is so afraid for Putin leaking intelligence on him, he’s willing to sell his own family, USA’s friends, NATO, Europe. What he’s doing to US, NATO, Ukraine, EU, is normally done by the 🇷🇺 intelligence services globally. Thx Oslo!"

Another X user, Leo Rietdijk, commented, "Well the best for Europe is no longer invest in America. Thanks for the advice donald."

Spain-based Alessandro Nurnberg wrote, "Don't take lessons from a corrupt, ignorant wannabe dictator."

Author Bruno Maçães tweeted, "European leaders sat around Trump like little children. He now calls them weak."

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