President Donald Trump has ignited fresh tensions with longstanding US allies after describing Europe as “decaying” and accusing its leaders of weakness on immigration and the war in Ukraine. His remarks, published Tuesday in Politico, deepen concerns already raised by his administration’s recent national security strategy, which drew on far-right narratives about civilisational decline.
In the interview, conducted on Monday, Trump argued that European migration policies were a “disaster,” insisting leaders were too focused on political correctness. “Most European nations, they’re decaying,” he said, adding that some leaders were “real stupid ones.”
Trump also criticised Europe’s approach to the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russia currently had “the upper hand” and urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold elections despite the ongoing invasion. Ukraine postponed its 2024 polls under martial law, with roughly 20% of its territory under Russian occupation.
The former president took aim at NATO members as well, despite boasting about his influence within the alliance. Referring to comments by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte earlier this year, Trump quipped, “NATO calls me daddy,” before accusing European nations of failing to match their rhetoric with action. “They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on,” he said.
The interview is expected to heighten anxiety across European capitals, already unsettled by the US security strategy’s references to “cultivating resistance” in Europe and warnings of “civilizational erasure” language experts say echoes the far-right “great replacement” conspiracy theory.
French minister Alice Rufo criticised the strategy as an “extremely brutal clarification” of Washington’s ideological direction.
Trump went on to claim that migration was “destroying” countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden, while also renewing his personal attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling him “horrible” and “disgusting.” Khan dismissed the remarks, saying Trump was “obsessed” with him and insisted that Americans were “flocking” to London.
Turning back to Ukraine, Trump repeated his criticism of Zelensky, describing him as a leader “using war not to hold an election.” He said, “It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
Zelensky responded on Tuesday, saying he was ready to proceed with elections “if security is ensured” and that Ukraine would send its updated version of the US peace plan shortly.
Top US negotiators held talks in Moscow last week, followed by negotiations with Kyiv, but no breakthrough has been announced.