French leader of the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party Jean-Luc Mélenchon has criticised US President-elect Donald Trump, describing him as “a threat” and adversary to European interests rather than an ally.
Speaking in an interview with El País and La Repubblica on December 8, Mélenchon’s unedited transcript shared on an affiliated LFI blog and reposted on his official X account, criticised Trump and the broader implications of US foreign policy for Europe.
“Trump is more of a threat than an ally,” he said, accusing the incoming US leader of undermining European industry through what he called protectionist policies and exploiting the NATO alliance for US gain.
“He threatens European industry with new trade barriers and seeks to subordinate us,” Mélenchon alleged.
“And he’s succeeding — of the 35 countries he demanded raise their military spending to 2 per cent of GDP, 29 have already complied.”
“It’s a kind of tax imposed on the rest of the world through a war economy,” he argued.
According to the LFI leader, the US “war economy” was also sustained because the country is perpetually involved in conflicts.
“The United States is a violent country: Out of 230 years of history, they’ve been at war for 229,” he noted. “And Trump is someone who embraces the use of force.”
Mélenchon’s remarks coincided with Trump’s recent interview with US news channel NBC on December 8, where the President-elect warned that the US would consider leaving the alliance if member nations failed to “pay their bills.”
Washington finances 15.8 per cent of NATO’s yearly expenditure of around $3.5 billion (€3.31 billion).
Trump’s remarks on December 8 echoed the concerns of many left-wing Europeans.
VIDEO: Donald Trump could “cripple” the EU and remove its ability to negotiate as a bloc, says Gregg Svingen, spokesman for Democrats Abroad in Belgium. https://t.co/ffhA5632LQ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 6, 2024
During his interview, the leader of LFI said liberalism and liberal politicians such as Trump were eroding the “democratic project”.
“For liberals, the democratic project is no longer the priority,” Mélenchon claimed.
“Their focus is on advancing the liberal agenda, where the private market replaces the public sector.”
The hard-left leader went further, branding liberals the “extremist anti-democracy threat” and linking their ideology to the January 6 Capitol riots in Washington.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the United States, the French hard-left party La France Insoumise has called for a shift towards left-wing “radicalism” to counter the far-right. https://t.co/CfeXPbeEgV
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 7, 2024
