REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and French Minister for Economy and Finance Michel Sapin.
Trump foretold the end of the European Union, called NATO obsolete, and doubled down his attacks on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling her refugee policy a "catastrophic mistake."
Since then, European politicians have spoken out against Trump's comments and jumped to the defence of the German leader:
- Angela Merkel was quick to answer Trump and shut down his comments: "We Europeans have our destiny in our own hands." She also added that his positions had been known for a long time and that so were hers.
- French President François Hollande also replied to Trump's comments on Monday by advising him that the EU "has no need for outside advice to tell it what it has to do."
- French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said the President-elect's comments were unacceptable and added: "The attack on the [German] Chancellor is not an argument we can accept as Frenchmen or as Europeans."
- German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel also said in a speech in Berlin that "nationalism and protectionism are not the recipes for greatness." This was an indirect warning against Trump's attempt to divide Europeans with his criticism of Merkel's refugee policy.
- "The best response to the interviews given by the US president is the unity of Europeans, is to come together as a bloc," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also said that Trump's view on NATO had "caused astonishment" in the EU and added that himself and NATO's secretary-general were alarmed.
While Europeans responded firmly to Trump's comments, Merkel said she would wait until after his inauguration and then planned to work with him at all levels of government and that Europe would remain strong. "I will continue to work to ensure that the 27 member states work together effectively and, above all, in a forward-looking way," Merkel concluded.
Trump's criticism seems to have spurred a rare spirit of European solidarity. "The more he [Trump] makes this sort of statement, the more Europeans close ranks," Sapin told reporters.