December 11, 2025 | 12:56 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized European leaders, calling Europe “weak” and “rotten” over its handling of migration. In an interview with Politico, as reported by Al Jazeera, Trump said European governments should deport people who enter their countries illegally.
“Europe, they want to be politically correct, and it makes them weak,” Trump said on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Trump has long opposed immigration to Western nations and often uses forceful language when referring to migrants, especially those from African and predominantly Muslim countries.
“Europe is a different place. If that keeps going the way it’s going, in my opinion, many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer,” he said. “Their immigration policy is a disaster.”
His remarks came less than a week after his administration released a National Security Strategy that criticized Europe and warned of a “civilisational erasure” on the continent. The strategy called on European governments to push back against current migration trends.
When asked whether the United States might intervene in Europe’s internal politics, Trump said his focus remained on his own administration. However, he did not rule out supporting certain candidates and parties in European elections, similar to his recent endorsements of right-wing politicians in Latin America.
Trump also confirmed that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is one of his closest allies in Europe, is seeking a U.S. financial rescue package that resembles the 40 billion dollar support Washington provided to Argentina under President Javier Milei.
Controversies surrounding Trump's rhetoric have been present since his first term in 2017. That year, he sparked a diplomatic dispute with the United Kingdom after sharing a misleading video circulated by a British far-right figure portraying Muslim immigrants as violent.
Then-Prime Minister Theresa May denounced the post as false and several lawmakers condemned Trump's actions.
On Tuesday, Trump again attacked London Mayor Sadiq Khan, questioning his ideology and claiming without evidence that Khan, who is Muslim, was elected by immigrants.
The statement echoed the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, which baselessly suggests that white voters in Western countries are being intentionally supplanted by newcomers.
“If you take a look at London, you have a mayor named Khan. He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor,” Trump said.
Although the United Kingdom has tightened its immigration laws, Trump claimed the country is “allowing people just to come in, unchecked, unvetted.”
“Look at the mayor of London. He’s a disaster. He’s a disaster,” Trump said. “He’s got a totally different ideology of what he’s supposed to have. And he gets elected because so many people have come in, and they vote for him.”
Trump had already taken aim at Khan during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, suggesting that the London mayor had adopted Islamic law in the city.
In recent weeks, Trump’s rhetoric toward Khan and Europe has drawn a muted response from British leaders. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended and voiced support for Khan, who is a Labour Party ally, but has avoided condemning or directly criticising Trump.
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