Trump’s threats put the West’s main military alliance at risk That European leaders heavily criticized United States President Donald Trump’s aspirations to seize Greenland, there is no doubt. But Trump’s unprecedented push to gain control of the island also shocked the US president’s strong allies within Europe. Throughout the week, names from the European far right joined their country’s rulers — mostly their political rivals — to condemn the threats made by Trump. ✅ Click here to follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp What is known about the negotiations involving Trump and Greenland 👉 But what explains the reaction? Politicians previously aligned with Trump identified in the Republican’s offensive an interventionist stance that threatens Europe’s national interests and hurts nationalist ideology – one of the hallmarks of the continent’s ultra-right. See below what some of them had to say: AfD, Germany AfD supporters often reject the ‘radical right’ label, including the party’s leader, Alice Weidel, who describes the party as a conservative and libertarian movement Getty Images via BBC Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, Germany’s far-right acronym, accused Trump of “violating” a campaign promise and one of the basic principles of the European liberal right, that of non-interference in the affairs of other countries. “He has violated a fundamental electoral promise, namely not to interfere in other countries, and he needs to explain this to his own voters,” said Weidel. Tino Chrupalla, another co-leader of the party, also condemned what he called “Wild West tactics” and “imperial politics”. Giorgia Meloni, Italy ‘You won’t be offended if I say you’re beautiful, will you?’, says Trump to Giorgia Meloni Recently praised by Trump, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the tariff that the US president threatened to impose on Europeans a “mistake”. Meloni also warned his North American ally about the risks of his stance towards NATO. “The prediction of an increase in tariffs against countries that have chosen to contribute to the security of Greenland is a mistake, and I do not agree with it,” he said. Jordan Bardella, France The leaders of the French far right, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, in June 2024. AP Photo/Thomas Padilla Frenchman Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally and political heir to Marine Le Pen, called on Europe to react and not be “submissive” to the United States, during a speech in the French Parliament. “When a US president threatens a European territory using commercial pressure, that is not dialogue — it is coercion. And our credibility is at stake,” he said. “The choice is simple: submission or sovereignty.” In an interview with a local TV program, Bardella said he was “uneasy about Donald Trump’s threats to the sovereignty of European states.” Nigel Farage In a file image, British deputy Nigel Farage poses next to Donald Trump, in 2016. Reproduction/Twitter/Nigel_Farage British Nigel Farage, leader of the far right and considered the “father of Brexit” for leading the movement that called for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, is a longtime ally of Trump. Farage also criticized, this week, the tariffs that Trump threatened to apply to Europe. A current deputy, he said that “threatening your closest allies is not the right way.” And he said that “good friends also disagree.” “I understand President Donald Trump’s concerns about Greenland, but threatening his closest allies is not the right way forward,” the Briton said in an interview. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Farage said Trump’s stance was not in line with his belief in “national self-determination”. “This is a fundamental part for us (…) who fight against the globalists: the belief in national self-determination (…)”, he declared. People’s Party of Denmark The People’s Party of Denmark, which has already declared itself aligned with the values of MAGA (Make America Great Again, the motto of the Trump administration), said that Trump’s stance goes against the principle of national sovereignty. “Portraying me as someone who serves a cause other than Denmark, and who would sympathize with threats to our kingdom, is harmful,” wrote the party’s leader, Morten Messerschmidt. See the videos that are trending on g1
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Trump’s foray into Greenland even angered his far-right allies in Europe; see reactions
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