World Leaders Remain Silent on Trump Amidst Potential Legal Troubles

In the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. election, European Union leader Donald Tusk couldn’t hold back his thoughts any longer. Taking to Twitter, he exclaimed, “One Donald is more than enough!” However, when Trump emerged victorious less than a week later, it set the stage for a challenging four years of trans-Atlantic relations.

As Trump, the first former president to face federal charges that could result in jail time, finds himself in legal trouble, many Europeans are closely monitoring the case. Surprisingly, very few world leaders have made any recent comments about the man currently leading the race for the Republican party nomination.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO chief hailed as “Diplomat of the Year” in 2019 by Foreign Policy Magazine for guiding the alliance through an “uncertain future” during the Trump era, expertly deflected questions about a potential second term. In just three sentences, he managed to steer the conversation towards the television series “The Crown.”

The global public remains captivated by Trump’s court appearance, with the event making headlines and dominating evening newscasts across much of Europe. Even in far-flung places like New Zealand, people are watching the Trump spectacle with a mix of horror and fascination, reminiscent of the final days of his presidency when the U.S. Capitol was attacked in early 2021, according to David Capie, an international relations professor at Victoria University of Wellington.

European leaders, for the most part, would not welcome Trump’s re-election. His policies on climate, trade, and security clashed with European interests and values, and there is a widespread fear that he would withdraw robust U.S. support for the war in Ukraine.

José Pio Borges, president of the Brazilian Center for International Relations think tank, expressed the shared concern of the international community: “The whole world has the same concern. We hope that the U.S. election restores a bit of rationality. Not that we have great appreciation for Biden, but there is no comparison.”

In other regions like China and India, where the United States feels more distant, the trial received considerably less attention.

However, there is a minority of world leaders openly rooting for Trump’s return. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump supporter since 2016, claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have occurred if Trump were still president. In a recent speech, he passionately exclaimed, “Come back, Mr. President! Make America great again, and bring us peace!”

The allegations against Trump being tried in court also matter to allied leaders. Prosecutors accuse him of mishandling classified information, including sensitive details shared by or about intelligence partners.

Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the U.S. and Americas Program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, highlighted the significance of the current case: “If Donald Trump were to be elected President, then absolutely, there will be certain governments that are going to be concerned.” She pointed out that the ongoing trial provided “clear evidence of his willingness to play fast and loose with secret and top-secret documents.”

Given the dense network of military security cooperation deals between the United States and its NATO allies, as well as countries like Australia and New Zealand, where secrecy, due diligence, and trust in exchanging sensitive information are paramount, the indictment’s contents raise serious concerns.

According to prosecutors, Trump intentionally kept hundreds of classified documents after leaving office in January 2021 and stored them in various locations, including a bathroom, a ballroom, and a bedroom. These documents contained information about nuclear programs, defense and weapons capabilities of both the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as a Pentagon “attack plan.”

Vinjamuri conveyed the gravity of the situation, stating, “It’s so far beyond the pale of the imagination of most people who work in intelligence that it really, you know, you do have to sort of laugh. But it’s obviously very grave, very serious.”

While governments have refrained from publicly addressing such sensitive issues, it is evident that most U.S. allies, particularly in Europe, have embraced Biden as their best hope for rekindling old alliances and building cooperation to combat climate change.

Europe is currently facing its biggest crisis in decades due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and many European nations have stood alongside Biden in confronting Putin and imposing numerous sanctions on the Kremlin.

The conflict has prompted a reassessment of views in some countries that were once aligned with Trump’s perspective on the world.

Poland, for instance, openly admired Trump’s leadership and shared his stance on issues like opposing large-scale migration, particularly by Muslims. In 2017, Poland’s conservative President Andrzej Duda even suggested that if the U.S. established a base in Poland, it should be named Fort Trump. However, Duda and others are now appreciative of Biden’s support for Poland and his two visits to Warsaw following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukraine, which has received vital aid from the Biden administration, has refrained from commenting on Biden’s political rival. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chose not to take sides during Trump’s first impeachment saga, despite playing a central role, and has welcomed China’s peace plan for the conflict, even though many perceive it to favor Moscow.

European leaders, in particular, are currently keeping their opinions about Trump to themselves.

Leslie Vinjamuri summed up the situation: “One of the most interesting questions here in the United Kingdom, across Europe, and elsewhere is: what are Europeans doing to prepare for the possibility that Donald Trump could return to the White House? And I think the reality is, not a lot right now.”

Donald Tusk is presently running for the leadership of Poland after the upcoming elections in the fall. As a prime minister, the last thing he would want is to engage in another conflict with someone named Donald.

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More about Trump’s legal troubles

• Trump Faces Federal Charges
• European Leaders Remain Silent on Trump
• World Leaders React to Trump’s Legal Troubles
• Trump’s Impact on Trans-Atlantic Relations
• Hungary’s Orban Supports Trump
• Biden’s Actions on Russia-Ukraine Conflict
• Implications of Trump’s Legal Troubles on International Relations
• Biden’s Reception by U.S. Allies