EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has warned that the election of Donald Trump presents risks, and that the president-elect has much to learn about Europe. World leaders have generally tried to be more conciliatory.
Image: Reuters/C. Allegri
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In an unusually candid assessment of the post-election situation, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday that Donald Trump was ignorant of the EU and how it worked.
Juncker said it was up to the bloc to teach the future US president about Europe and its values. He highlighted a statement made by Trump earlier this year in which he appeared to suggest that Belgium, which hosts the EU and NATO headquarters, was a city.
"The election of Trump poses the risk of upsetting intercontinental relations in their foundation and in their structure," Juncker told a gathering of students at a conference in Luxembourg.
"We will need to teach the president-elect what Europe is and how it works," Juncker said, adding that both America's political class and "deep America" had no interest in the continent. "I think we will waste two years before Mr. Trump tours the world he does not know."
Juncker's words came in contrast to reactions from leaders of individual EU member states, who have said they look forward to working with the new president - who has European family roots in Scotland as well as in Germany.
Trump continued his round of telephone calls with world leaders on Friday, speaking to French President Francois Hollande.
The president-elect and Hollande have little in common politically, with the French president saying before the election that some of Trump's remarks "make you want to retch."
However, the pair were said to have sought common ground in the phone call, concentrating on shared "history and values." The two leaders spoke about terrorism and the fight against the "Islamic State" militant group in Iraq and Syria, according to one source.
On Wednesday, Hollande said Trump's election "opens a period of uncertainty," but he has also signaled a desire for good relations with the incoming US administration.
"Donald Trump has been elected. My duty is to ensure that we have the best relations but on the basis of frankness and clarity," Hollande told France 2 television.
'Close cooperation, common values'
Trump's call to Hollande came a day after he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who congratulated Trump and said she looked forward to working with him. The two are scheduled to meet next July, when the German city of Hamburg hosts the G20 summit, although an earlier meeting is likely.
Pussy Riot takes on Donald Trump
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Merkel's deputy spokesman, Georg Streiter, said the chancellor had offered the next president "close cooperation" and "stressed that Germany and the United States of America are closely tied through common values."
Comments from Trump throughout the presidential campaign - about women, Muslims and Mexicans - caused shock in Europe and prompted questions about his fitness for the office of US president.
But on Friday, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Europeans not to be despondent. "I may respectfully say to my European friends and colleagues that it's time we snapped out of general doom and gloom about this election," said Johnson, after a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.
Last year, Johnson said he was afraid of visiting New York because of "the real risk of meeting Donald Trump," after the property mogul said parts of London were now so radicalized that police feared going there.
rc/cmk (dpa, Reuters)
Trump: Mogul, populist, president
Already a real estate magnate, best-selling author and reality TV star, Donald Trump is about to become the 45th US president. Often regarded as an outlandish, comic figure, Trump will soon move into the White House.
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The family, the empire
Surrounded by the ones he loves, Donald Trump with his wife, Melania, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, his sons Eric and Donald, Jr., and grandchildren Kai and Donald John III. His three eldest children are senior vice presidents in the Trump organization.
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From millionaire to billionaire
This picture from 1984 shows Trump opening Harrah's at Trump Plaza, a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's one of the investments that helped turn Trump, already a millionaire thanks to cash from his father, into a billionaire.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/M. Lederhandler
Off to a good start
Trump inherited the money he used to launch his real estate empire from his father, Frederick. He gave his son a million dollars to start and then, upon his death, left Donald and his three siblings $400 million.
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What's in a name? Billions.
Donald Trump aggressively invested the money and experienced the market's highs and lows. Long-term success came thanks to Trump Tower in New York City. Trump has said he's worth some $10 billion, but he has not released financial information to prove the claim. Experts estimate he's worth about a third of that.
Image: Getty Images/D. Angerer
"Very good, very smart"
That's what Trump had to say about himself. He studied at the renowned Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor's degree.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B.J. Harpaz
Captain Trump
Before college, Trump was sent to a military academy at the age of 13 to learn discipline. By the time he graduated, he had earned an officer's rank at the academy. During his campaign for president, he said he enjoyed the school's structure and military culture.
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Heel spurs instead of Vietnam
Despite the military education, Trump did not serve in the Vietnam War. He received four deferments while studying and a fifth for bone spurs in his heels. Trump will be the first US president to enter the White House without having previously served in a public office or the military.
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Wife number one: Ivana
In 1977, Trump married Ivana Zelnuickova of what was then Czechoslovakia. The pair had three children together, Donald John, Jr., Ivanka Marie and Eric Fredrick. The marriage, however, was plagued with rumors of extra-marital affairs and ended in 1990. Ivana was the one who created Trump's nickname "The Donald."
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Family number two
Trump later married his second wife, Marla Maples. Maples gave birth to their daughter Tiffany in 1993.
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Girls, girls, girls
Trump seemed to enjoy being photographed with women other than his wife by his side. He often visited beauty pageants and posed with young models. From 1996 to 2015, he owned part of all the Miss Universe pageants. Trump would later come under fire for an audio recording of him saying his fame allowed him to grope women without fearing consequences.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Lemm
The Art of the Deal
How do you make a quick million? Trump's best-seller "The Art of the Deal," which was part autobiography, part instruction manual for ambitious businessmen, tried to show readers the way. Already well-known, the book solidified Trump's spot in the public spotlight.
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Mixing business and entertainment
Like no other, Trump knew how to grab the public's attention, as seen here in a show for "World Wrestling Entertainment." His unique blend of business and entertainment acumen met in the reality TV show "The Apprentice" where candidates were hired and fired. Trump's favorite line from the show: "You're fired!"
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Trump's move into politics
Though he had previously had very little contact with governing or politics, Trump announced his presidential candidacy on July 16, 2015. He used "Make America Great Again" as a political slogan and during his election campaign insulted immigrants, Muslims, women and everyone running against him.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Lane
Off to Washington
Whether the showman morphs into a statesman will be seen over Trump's four years in the White House. Views are split as he prepares to take office. But if his life so far is anything to go by, there is no telling what will be next.
