European officials dismiss claim world leaders 'are laughing' at Trump, praise his 'strong message'

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. — Foreign ministers from European nations with adjacent U.S. ties reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris’ assertion world leaders are "laughing" astatine erstwhile President Trump, dismissing the claim. 

During September’s statesmanlike debate, Harris said, "World leaders are laughing astatine Donald Trump. I person talked with subject leaders, immoderate of whom worked with you, and they accidental you're a disgrace."

When asked astir this quote, overseas ministers successful attendance astatine the United Nations High-Level Week stressed they person nary presumption 1 mode oregon the different connected the U.S. predetermination and volition enactment with whomever wins. 

"We are friends of America," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, noting Italy and the U.S. are "two sides of the aforesaid coin." "If Trump volition beryllium the caller president of America, we volition enactment with him arsenic we worked with him erstwhile helium was president of America."

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"We worked good with Biden, with Bush, with Reagan, with Clinton, with Obama," Tajani added. "For us, the transatlantic relations are the key strategy of our overseas policy, Europe and America." 

Foreign ministers of Lithuania and the Czech Republic stressed that they volition not interfere successful the predetermination by stating a preference, alternatively saying they "leave it to the American citizens to decide." 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, looks connected arsenic President Trump and Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, speech during a moving luncheon astatine the NATO leaders acme successful Watford, Britain, Dec. 4, 2019.  (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

"My relation is not to remark connected specified a governmental statement," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said. 

However, Lipavsky praised Trump’s "strong" connection of defence spending, which helium hoped Europe would proceed to clasp successful the look of Russian aggression against Ukraine. 

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"The constituent is that Donald Trump had, astatine his time, 1 beardown connection for Europe, and that connection was rather resonating and is resonating much present due to the fact that helium was saying spend much connected your defense," Lipavsky said. 

"My authorities is spending much connected our defense," helium added. "We privation to scope those 2% of GDP, volition beryllium reaching them this year, and we volition proceed adjacent year. So, (if) Donald Trump would beryllium a president with this message, ‘Please walk 2%," we would beryllium OK."

President Trump reacts adjacent to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arsenic they be a moving luncheon during the NATO leaders acme successful Watford, Britain, Dec. 4, 2019. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis highlighted the "very agelong history" betwixt the 2 countries, saying that the narration is "more than politics." 

Instead, helium reiterated the connection that whoever wins the predetermination volition request to absorption connected the aforesaid connection of defence spending that Trump pushed during his archetypal administration. 

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Prior to the Trump administration, lone a fewer members of NATO had upheld their committedness to walk 2% of GDP connected defense, but that fig roseate sharply owed to Trump’s insistence and hard-line stance implicit the issue. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg successful June reported that 23 of the 32 subordinate states person deed the minimum spending requirement, which helped amended the bloc’s quality to enactment Ukraine and, potentially, deter Russian aggression beyond its existent ambitions. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with erstwhile President Trump during his sojourn to Mar-a-Lago successful Florida successful July. (@PM_ViktorOrban)

No European nation, though, has touted the occurrence of Trump’s archetypal word and expressed hopes for a beardown 2nd word arsenic has Hungary. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó revealed his authorities would person "huge expectations" for a caller Trump administration. 

"We person immense expectations due to the fact that we bash judge that galore of the large crises which springiness america a batch of interest tin beryllium resolved by an medication of President Trump," Szijjártó said, noting helium speaks arsenic the longest-serving overseas curate successful NATO with 10 years nether his belt. 

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"I didn't truly spot anyone laughing astatine Trump," Szijjártó said. "What I've seen galore having fear. I've seen galore being acrophobic of a U.S. president being honest, not a hostage by the wide mainstream, representing a patriotic position, speaking intelligibly astir America first."  

Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán person done small to fell their rosy friendship, with Trump invoking the Hungarian person arsenic a "strong antheral of Europe" who speaks good of the erstwhile president. 

Orbán proved this is simply a communal dynamic erstwhile he chose to permission the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this twelvemonth to alternatively conscionable with Trump successful Mar-a-Lago successful Florida to sermon overseas relations.

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"Under President Trump, everything was nether control," Szijjártó said. "Since President Trump has near office, the full planetary information concern is deteriorating. So, I mean, these are experiences." 

"If we basal it connected our experience, we accidental yes, from a position of U.S.-Hungary relations, I deliberation President Trump would bring different impetus, freshness, dynamism to this relationship. And I deliberation if President Trump is elected, I deliberation the satellite has a bully accidental to go a much peaceful spot compared to the existent situation."  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.