By Thomas Colson
Jul 15, 2020
President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed the European Union was formed to take advantage of the US and argued that the US’s European allies had “never treated us well.”
His comments came during a long campaign-style speech covering a series of unrelated topics in the White House’s Rose Garden.
The event had been billed as an announcement of new actions on China, but Trump instead spoke for roughly an hour about military spending, illegal immigration, and his friendship with Mexico’s president while launching attacks on Joe Biden.
When he turned to talk about Europe, he said: “Don’t forget we’re in competition with China, and with many other countries throughout the world. We’re in tremendous economic competition, including Europe, which has never treated us well.”
“The European Union was formed in order to take advantage of the United States,” he said. “Formed to take advantage of the United States. I know that. They know I know that, but other presidents had no idea.”
The earliest iteration of what is now called the European Union was formed in 1950, in the aftermath of World War II, when Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands formed the European Coal and Steel Community.
Read more at https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-says-european-union-formed-take-advantage-united-states-2020-7
