Scaramucci criticises European leaders’ approach to Trump
The former White House communications director said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had handled the US president better than NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly led White House communications during Donald Trump’s first term, has criticised European leaders’ dealings with the US president, arguing that firmness works better than flattery.
Scaramucci contrasted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with Mark Rutte, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). He said Carney’s approach was more effective and retained Canadians’ support despite some economic hardship. By contrast, he argued, Rutte’s praise and equivocation cost him Trump’s respect rather than securing gains.
Rutte has publicly expressed his liking for Trump and praised the president’s contribution to NATO. At the alliance’s summit in The Hague last year, European allies accepted a defence spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, matching Trump’s headline demand.
Carney has taken a different stance in trade negotiations. He withdrew from talks with Washington, saying Canada could accept neither the proposed offer nor the demands, and pledged to match new US tariffs dollar for dollar.
