Senior EU officials think US President-elect Donald Trump’s idea to incorporate Greenland into the US is “crazy” but believe his loud statements at press conferences do not reflect his real plans, while Trump associate Elon Musk is “really scary”, the Financial Times reports.
“We expected something. We were planning something. But nothing this crazy,” a European official commented to the publication on Trump’s remarks about joining Greenland.
On the other hand, European interlocutors to the publication, who have already managed to hold talks with representatives of Trump’s team, said that his associates are calm and quite reasonable, and “what Trump tells his people about his own plans is not what you hear at press conferences.”
Nevertheless, some difficulty is seen by Europeans in how to deal with Musk and his meddling in European politics.
“Musk is really scary,” another EU official said.
Trump said on January 7 that Greenland should become part of the United States and emphasized its strategic importance for national security and protecting the “free world”, including from China and Russia. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede, for his part, said the island is not for sale and will never be sold. At the same time, Trump refused to pledge not to use military force to establish control over Greenland.
Earlier, the Washington Post called Musk a “shadow president” of the United States after his active interference in the process of discussing the bill to fund the federal government, which led to the threat of a shutdown. NBC previously reported that Musk’s constant presence near Trump and his behavior are beginning to irritate the circle of those close to Trump. According to them, Musk behaves like a co-president.
Earlier, Trump announced that during his second presidency Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).