President Donald Trump reportedly told European Union officials that “the Germans are evil, very evil” during a meeting Thursday in Brussels.
While talking about Germany’s market share in the United States when it comes to automobiles, attendees told German newspaper Der Spiegel, Trump said “Look at the millions of cars they sell in the U.S. We’ll stop that.”
Der Spiegel reported that EU Commission leader Jean-Claude Juncker defended free trade as essential for a global economy. According to the New York Times, Trump’s message may have been Germans are “bad, very bad” and not “evil, very evil”—depending on the translation.
There were major differences of opinions between EU leadership and the U.S. governments as matters of climate change, global trade, and Russia were touched on during the meeting. The New York Times reported on the tense environment throughout the meeting, claiming Trump was initially silent while gazing at the cameras.
Trump has been a critic of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since his presidential campaign. While in Brussels, he failed to endorse a mutual defense pledge for NATO. Trump did not extend an invitation for EU leaders to visit the White House during Thursday’s meeting.
H/T the Week
