Former European Council President Donald Tusk Is Backing Joe Biden, Denouncing Donald Trump Again
A prominent, right-leaning European politician is seemingly backing former Vice President Joe Biden’s 2020 White House bid. Donald Tusk — who was President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019 — took to Twitter on Thursday, declaring that he prays for Biden’s success in his upcoming battle with incumbent Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency.
In his tweet, Tusk touted his belief in “the Republican ideals and greatness of America,” further stating that former president Ronald Reagan was his hero and calling himself an “anti-Communist.” He also wrote that he had gotten to know President Trump “really well.” For those reasons, he stated, Tusk wants Biden to become the next president after Americans cast their ballots on November 3.
Tusk currently serves as the President of the European People’s Party. He originally rose to prominence in Europe as the 14th Prime Minister of Poland, a post he held from 2007 to 2014 before transitioning to the E.U. presidency. He has long been a vocal critic of Trump, having directed harsh words and criticism at the president and his administration on multiple occasions in recent years.
In 2017, Tusk penned an open letter to the European Union’s heads of state regarding the future of the E.U. ahead of the Malta summit. In the letter, Tusk compared the threat posed by the Trump administration to the E.U. with that of China, an aggressive Russia, and “wars, terror and anarchy in the Middle East and Africa.”
In 2018, The Inquisitr shared a story about Tusk admonishing the president and America, telling them they should appreciate their allies because they “don’t have that many.” At the time, Tusk and Trump had gone back and forth on Twitter regarding the relationship between NATO and the European Union. As relayed by Politico last September, Tusk attacked Trump without naming him directly during a fiery speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
“To protect the truth, it is not enough to accuse others of promoting fake news. Frankly speaking, it would be enough to simply stop lying,” he said. “To protect freedom, it is not enough to talk about it in speeches. You have to defend the rights of an individual everywhere and every day. You have to defend the freedom of speech and a free press. And you have to stop flirting with dictators and authoritarian regimes.”
Trump potentially faces a growing number of detractors in the U.S. as well. According to data aggregated from polls by FiveThirtyEight, the president’s disapproval rating has ballooned to over 56 percent in the last week.
