EU council president: Trump ‘perhaps the most difficult challenge’ for Europe

European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday said President Trump constitutes “perhaps the most difficult challenge” Europe will face in the coming years.

Tusk said Trump’s desire for the breakup of the European Union poses a major problem for Europe, according to Reuters.

“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,” Tusk told the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Reuters noted.

Tusk added that Trump is determined to weaken the EU because the president believes it will be to the betterment of the U.S. and trade between the two sides.

Trump has thrown his support behind Britain’s decision to leave the EU, saying he would attempt to strike a deal with the country after its departure, while labeling Europe a trade “foe.” 

It was reported earlier this month that Trump would not move forward with imposing tariffs on EU auto imports for another six months. The delay would push his decision to a heightened time in the 2020 presidential campaign.

Trump has displayed a penchant for using tariffs as a mechanism to secure what he sees as more favorable trade deals for the U.S.

Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland, has previously accused Trump of instigating what he called “senseless disputes” over trade with other countries and the EU.