A longtime European ally of Donald Trump privately warned fellow leaders that the U.S. president appeared mentally unsteady after a recent face-to-face meeting at Mar-a-Lago. The comment came from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, one of the few European leaders who has consistently defended Trump in public and aligned himself with his criticism of the European Union.
According to five European diplomats briefed on the exchange, Fico told colleagues at an EU summit last week that he was “shocked” by Trump’s state of mind following their Jan. 17 meeting in Florida. Two diplomats said Fico specifically raised concerns about Trump’s “psychological state,” while another said he used the word “dangerous” to describe how the president came across during their conversation.
The remarks were relayed during an informal huddle on the sidelines of an emergency EU summit in Brussels, convened amid growing tensions over Trump’s threats toward Greenland and trade retaliation against European countries.
According to Politico, none of the diplomats said they knew precisely what Trump told Fico during the meeting. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations between leaders.
Even Fico described the US president’s psychological state as dangerous after the meeting with Trump, — Politico.
The Slovak prime minister told EU leaders that the meeting with Trump had shocked him because of the US president’s state of mind.
The politicians’ last… pic.twitter.com/O8NvPmppJR
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) January 28, 2026
The warning carried particular weight because of who delivered it. Fico has been among Trump’s most vocal European defenders, praising his positions on Europe’s “weakness,” speaking at conservative gatherings in the United States, and publicly advertising his access to Trump after the Mar-a-Lago visit.
In a Facebook video following the meeting, Fico described the invitation as a sign of “high respect and trust” from the U.S. president and said the two discussed Ukraine and what he called the EU’s “deep crisis.” That public warmth stood in stark contrast to the private concern he later expressed in Brussels.
One diplomat said Fico characterized Trump as being “out of his mind,” using language relayed directly by a leader present for the discussion.
The White House flatly rejected the account. “This is absolutely total fake news from anonymous European diplomats who are trying to be relevant,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, who described the Mar-a-Lago meeting as positive and productive.
A senior administration official who attended the meeting said there were no awkward moments and characterized the discussion as normal, lighthearted, and cordial.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico:
I have to give credit to Trump for one thing: he did not falsely justify his decision by the need to spread democracy or protect human rights, as the Biden administration or any previous American President would have done.
He spoke openly… pic.twitter.com/2ugC6SzSmR
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 5, 2026
Fico himself also denied the report. “I must emphatically reject the lies,” he wrote on X, saying he did not speak at the informal summit and reiterating his appreciation for the meeting with Trump, even while acknowledging he does not agree with all of the president’s strategies.
The conflicting accounts have only heightened unease among European officials already grappling with Trump’s unpredictability since his return to office.
A sixth EU diplomat, who was not directly briefed on Fico’s remarks, said concerns about Trump’s stability and health are increasingly discussed “at all levels” of European politics.
European leaders left last week’s summit with a sense that firmness without escalation remains their only workable approach.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged colleagues to reduce dependence on U.S. security guarantees, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc must stand united and steady.
Whether Fico’s private warning reflects a moment of candor or a fleeting reaction, it has landed at a sensitive time.
