In a stinging rebuke of American foreign policy, a prominent UK leader labeled US President Donald Trump an “international gangster”, a “bully”, and “the most corrupt president the United States has ever seen”, speaking in the country’s parliament.
Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, leader of the third-largest party in the UK parliament, was reacting to a series of trade tariff-linked threats aimed at the United Kingdom and its European allies by Trump, who is going after countries opposing his plan to “buy” or annex Greenland from Denmark.
Addressing the government in a session marked by high tension, Ed Davey described the current global diplomatic climate as an “incredibly grave moment”.
He accused the American president of unprovoked aggression and warned that the historic “special relationship” between the two nations, which Trump had previously hailed at Windsor Castle, is now “nearly in tatters”.
Davey did not mince words as he painted a picture of a Trump presidency defined by coercion rather than cooperation.
“President Trump is acting like an international gangster,” Davey said, accusing him of “threatening to trample over the sovereignty of an ally” and “threatening the end of NATO altogether”.
In simpler analogy, Davey also characterised Trump as a bully who “thinks he can grab whatever he wants using force if necessary”.
He argued that this discord benefits America’s primary adversaries, Russia and China — “the only people cheering him on are Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping”.
He accused the Labour Party government and previous Conservative regimes in the UK of “appeasing Trump, flattering him, fawning over him”. That policy failed, Davey argued, and said the UK must now choose between “standing up to him” or resorting to bribery via “a few billion in his crypto account”.
This firestorm was ignited by Trump’s recent announcement of a 10% to 25% import tax or tariff on goods from eight European nations, including the UK, starting February. These tariffs are a direct retaliation against countries that have supported Denmark’s refusal to discuss a US takeover of Greenland. Trump has insisted that the US “needs” the territory for security reasons to counter potential threats from China and Russia.
In a move that further inflamed tensions, Trump posted made-up images on social media showing the US flag planted in Greenland and a map showing both Greenland and Canada as part of the United States.
He has also picked a fight with the French President Emmanuel Macron over American expansionist policies, its plans for Gaza, and claims of “world peace”.
Trump threatened to hit French wines and champagnes with massive 200% tariffs, saying that would make Macron join Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, a plan aimed at resolving global conflicts, starting with Gaza. This has been met with skepticism by diplomats who fear it could undermine the United Nations.
The friction reached a new low when Trump published a private message from Macron expressing confusion over the American leader’s actions regarding Greenland. French minister Annie Genevard has described the tactics as brutal and a “tool for blackmail”, asserting that Europe cannot allow such an escalation.
Yet, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged America’s global partners to “take a deep breath”. He claimed relations have never been closer.
