Advertisement

Donald Trump Declares The European Union A 'Foe'

After a tumultuous NATO summit last week and massive protests against him in

After a tumultuous NATO summit last week and massive protests against him in the U.K., President Donald Trump kept up his hyperbolic criticism of longstanding U.S. allies during an interview with “CBS Evening News.”

In an interview excerpt airing on the network’s “Face The Nation” program on Sunday, Trump declared that he views the European Union as an enemy to the U.S.

CBS anchorman Jeff Glor had asked the president who he thought was the nation’s “biggest competitor” or “biggest foe.” Trump named the E.U. first.

“I think the European Union is a foe,” Trump said. “What they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.”

Trump added others to his list, but in milder terms.

“Russia is a foe in certain respects,” he said. “China is a foe economically certainly... but that doesn’t mean they’re bad… They’re competitors. They want to do well and we want to do well.”

After Glor noted that the E.U. was at the top of his list, Trump replied: “I look at them all. Look, EU is very difficult, I want to tell you. Maybe the thing that’s most difficult ― don’t forget both my parents were born in EU sectors, OK? I mean my mother was Scotland, my father was Germany. And, you know, I love those countries. I respect the leaders of those countries. But in a trade sense, they’ve really taken advantage of us.”

Trump’s mother was an immigrant from Scotland; his father was born in New York to German immigrants.

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, which guides the European Union, responded on Twitter with a quip: “America and the EU are best friends. Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news.”

Other portions of the Trump interview are to air on various CBS news programs on Monday. Also, on Monday, Trump holds a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.