On Thursday, former EU Council chief Donald Tusk posted a photo on Twitter of him pretending to point a gun at the back of President Donald Trump.
Tusk’s tweet, which showed a photo of him and Trump from last year’s G7 meeting in Canada, showed him behind Trump and pretending to point a gun into Trump’s back, as The Daily Mail noted.
Despite seasonal turbulences our transatlantic friendship must last #Trump #NATO pic.twitter.com/s8av9gr6eZ
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtuskEPP) December 5, 2019
Tusk’s tweet follows the controversy after some European leaders mocked Trump behind his back earlier this week. As The Daily Wire reported:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to mock President Donald Trump on a hot mic Tuesday evening with other world leaders while at a Buckingham Palace reception for the ongoing NATO summit. The Daily Mail noted that none of the leaders used Trump’s name but it was clear that is who they were talking about as Trudeau was standing alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Princess Anne. The Washington Post also reported that “the group appeared to be joking about President Trump’s performance earlier in the day.”
Tusk has a history of hostility toward Trump. As The Daily Wire reported in July 2018, “Before the NATO summit in Brussels, European Union President Donald Tusk, responding to President Trump’s criticism of European countries for their lack of spending on their own defense, insulted Trump and America, snapping, ‘Dear America, appreciate your allies. After all, you don’t have that many.’”
Tusk continued, “Money is important, but genuine solidarity is more important. Speaking of solidarity, I want to dispel the American president’s argument, which says the U.S. alone protects Europe against our enemies, and that the U.S. is almost alone in this struggle.”
Prior to that, in May 2018, Tusk said Trump had “rid Europe of all illusions” by exiting the Iran nuclear deal and driving trade disputes. At a news conference, he mocked Trump’s “capricious assertiveness,” adding, “Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think: With friends like that, who needs enemies?”
In September 2019, speaking at the United Nations, Tusk attacked Trump, who had spoken there two days before. Trump had asserted, “Looking around and all over this large, magnificent planet, the truth is plain to see: If you want freedom, take pride in your country. If you want democracy, hold on to your sovereignty. And if you want peace, love your nation. Wise leaders always put the good of their own people and their own country first. The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots. The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors, and honor the differences that make each country special and unique.”
Tusk stated, “Please allow me — in my speech today, my last one here — not to elaborate in detail on our challenges, and to start with a more general reflection inspired by words spoken here two days ago, words suggesting an immanent conflict between patriotism and globalism. I do not agree with this opinion. It is false and dangerous, even if it has many followers and powerful propagators.”
Last week, speaking in an interview with Die Zeit, Tusk stated, “For the first time in history, there is an American president who is openly against a united Europe. He supports Brexit and prays for the breakup of the Union.”