From one lawmaker clad in Stars and Stripes to celebrate, to a colleague warning Europe was acting like Trump's “doormat”, the EU's divisions on the matter were on ample display Tuesday in the bloc's parliament.
“The European Union is becoming the doormat of the United States, Donald Trump and Elon Musk,“ the left-wing French lawmaker Manon Aubry charged at the debate in Strasbourg, a day after Trump was sworn in.
Since Trump's victory, European Union leaders have sought to project confidence, insisting the bloc had learned how to deal with the Republican and was prepared for his comeback.
But as Trump's outbursts piled on, some lawmakers have grown impatient with the EU's wait-and-see attitude.
Denmark's hard-right lawmaker Anders Vistisen put it more bluntly, declaring: “Mr Trump, Greenland is not for sale” -- and driving home his point with a four-letter expletive.
High on the agenda Tuesday was the accusation of “interference” by the world’s richest man in European politics -- after Musk publicly backed a far-right party in Germany's upcoming elections.
But unlike many national assemblies, the EU parliament holds little real power, particularly on foreign policy.
A dozen lawmakers travelled to a freezing cold Washington to participate in the festivities linked to Trump's inauguration, as did Italy's hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“When the left dominated social media, deciding who could speak and what could be said, they saw no need for debates like this. Now, as their grip slips, they suddenly demand action,“ said Nicola Procaccini of the hard-right ECR group.
“This is not to protect European consumers, but to control the voters’ ballot paper,“ echoed lawmaker Virginie Joron, of France's far-right National Rally.
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