Among the European diplomats based in Brussels, the leaders of the community institutions, and even in the conversations that presidents and prime ministers have during their visits to the community capital, there is an issue that is increasingly emerging with more force: Donald Trump's mental health.
EL MUNDO already reported last week that in diplomatic circles there was a growing sense that the President of the United States "has gone crazy." His expansionist ambitions, his intention to acquire Greenland at all costs, and threats to countries that had sent troops to the Danish island sparked initial comments. "He has crossed a line," diplomatic sources emphasized.
In addition to this, as reported by Politico yesterday, one of the informative references in the bubble, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, expressed his concern to a group of European leaders about the "psychological state" of Trump. He used the term "dangerous" to refer to the magnate's situation.
Various diplomatic sources confirm to this newspaper that indeed there were conversations in that regard during the leaders' meeting last Thursday. They add that doubts and concerns about Trump's mental health have multiplied in recent days. "You listen to some of his recent speeches and... It is not unreasonable to think along those lines," explain sources from a northern country. "Davos was an example: he rambled, was disrespectful, and insulted. He was not at all at the level," add sources from another country.
All of this could be understood as a way for Europe to defend itself, to say that Trump is not in his right mind and to dismiss his words. But the fact that it was Fico himself who raised this issue in the Council, also emphasized by diplomatic sources, dispels that possibility. Because the Prime Minister of Slovakia is one of the European leaders closest to Trump. An "ally," summarize diplomatic sources.
What is also clear in the Brussels bubble is that, whether more sane or crazier, Trump will continue with the same dynamic. It has only been a year since he returned to the White House, and the pace has been frenetic, which is what is expected to continue happening in the next three years in the community capital. "After Venezuela or Greenland, more things will come, there is no doubt. And furthermore, there is no one on his team who contradicts him or tells him that some of his ideas are not the best. He wants to go down in history as one of the most important presidents in U.S. history," they explain in the community capital.
In the specific case of the Danish Kingdom island, it remains very uncertain what will happen in the coming weeks. No one has confirmed the Cyprus route, which would mean that U.S. bases in Greenland would become sovereign territory, as the United Kingdom did in the Mediterranean country. This possibility gained strength after the meeting in Davos between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Denmark simply points out that it is time for diplomacy and discussions.
But it seems clear that the magnate will not settle for less, and Rutte will push to keep him satisfied. Because the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands does not believe that Trump has lost his mind, or at least his statements do not suggest that. This week, in the European Parliament, he reiterated this and added that Europe still depends entirely on the U.S. And the interventions of the Secretary-General are starting to bother some capitals.