Donald Trump has raised eyebrows with an unusual claim about his international reputation, telling reporters that he is jokingly referred to as the “president of Europe.”
The former US president made the comments during a discussion in the Oval Office on Monday, describing the supposed title as “an honour.”
“They jokingly call me the president of Europe,” Trump said. “They call me the president of Europe, which is an honour. I like Europe and I like those people.”
The statement, however, appears to be without basis. There is no evidence that European leaders have ever referred to Trump in this way, and the claim was swiftly dismissed online. Social media users were quick to mock the remark, with many pointing out that the idea of a “president of Europe” does not even exist.
Trump’s comments appeared to reference his ongoing attempts to involve himself in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, he attended a much-publicised summit in Alaska with Russian president Vladimir Putin, but the meeting produced no tangible results. European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, later travelled to Washington for talks with Trump.
Speaking about that meeting, Trump said: “They’re great leaders and we’ve never had a case where seven, plus 28 – essentially 35, 38 – countries were represented here the other day.” His muddled maths raised further questions about the seriousness of his remarks.
The reaction in Europe to Trump’s latest claim has been muted, but polling suggests that public confidence in him remains extremely low. Research carried out by the More in Common think-tank revealed that 82% of British voters now have little or no trust in his ability to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The survey also found that twice as many Britons believe Putin got the upper hand in their recent talks (32%) compared to those who thought Trump emerged stronger (14%). Only a quarter of respondents said Trump was helping the peace process, while 30% believed his involvement was actively making it harder.
The figures underline the sharp scepticism surrounding Trump’s efforts to cast himself as a global dealmaker. Despite his insistence that leaders abroad respect his role, critics argue that his interventions often generate more spectacle than substance.
The remark about being “president of Europe” has only added to that perception. With no precedent for such a title and no record of it being used by international counterparts, the comment has been widely interpreted as another example of Trump exaggerating his influence on the world stage.
As the conflict in Ukraine grinds on and Western allies continue to seek a path toward resolution, Trump’s claim is unlikely to change the prevailing view among voters on either side of the Atlantic: that his involvement is more about self-promotion than diplomacy.
