Trump already warned Europe in 2020

During a private conversation with Commission President Ursula van der Leyen in 2020, then-US President Donald Trump warned that the US would not come to the rescue if Europe was ever attacked. French European Commissioner Thierry Breton told the news site on Tuesday at an event in Brussels. Politics news.

The conversation in question took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Swiss ski resort where world leaders meet annually. Breton attended, as did Irishman Bill Hogan, then European trade commissioner. “We were in Davos and Donald Trump said to Ursula: 'You have to understand that if Europe is attacked, we will not come to help or support you,'” says Breton.

According to Breton, NATO was also discussed during that conversation, where the atmosphere was very tense. “So, NATO is dead, we're going to leave NATO,” Breton echoed Trump's statements. “He added: 'Also, you still owe me $400 billion because you Germans didn't pay, which is what you should have paid for defense.'

The fact that Breton presented the story just days before the first Republican primary in the US in Iowa shows the apprehension in high EU circles about a possible Donald Trump victory. “He was the president of the United States at the time — he could turn around,” Breton said.

During the event, Breton reiterated the need for the EU to increase its own military defense capacity. “That conversation was a wake-up call. We know more than ever that we are alone. We are all members of NATO, so of course we have allies, but we have no choice but to drastically increase this pillar and be ready for whatever happens.

Breton will present its investment plan next month. Along with that massive defense fund of 100 billion euros, he wants to encourage joint arms purchases by EU member states, which should ultimately better prepare Europe for a war.