Asked if Donald Trump Is ‘Still Evil,’ Greek PM Refuses to Say ‘No’

Craig Bannister | November 16, 2016
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On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras refused to renounce his claim that Donald Trump is "evil."

At a press event with Pres. Obama in Athens Greece, Tsipras was asked, point blank, if he stood by comments he made in in March when he warned:

“And of course what this nomination marks, the ideas it represents, the appeal it reaches, and the threat to become even President – I hope we will not face this evil.”

While Tsipras stopped short of recanting his claim, the prime minister did admit that he was largely ignorant of Trump’s true nature, that he hasn’t “rush to repeat some of the criticism” he levied on Trump – and that, perhaps, he should have read the president-elect’s book before passing judgement on him:

REPORTER: “And, Mr. Prime Minister, you've also talked about your concerns about the rise of the extreme right in general. And about Donald Trump, in particular, you said, I hope we will not face this evil.  Do you believe Donald Trump or his ideas are still evil?  And if so, do you believe your comments and the comments of other European leaders will make it more difficult for you to work with him?”

PRIME MINISTER TSIPRAS:To be honest, I know very little of Donald Trump.  I got to know his aggressive manner and the manner in which he defended some unconventional points of view during the election period.  Some have told me that I should have read his book before going to bargain in Brussels -- "The Art of the Deal."  I didn't.  But I don't think that that was decisive to the result.  

“Still, let me point out that it was one thing what we knew about Donald Trump when he was seeking to become the candidate for the Republican Party; another thing during the election period; and now that he is the President-elect; and it's quite another when he will be the President of a country that is a major player, a global player.  

“So that is why, contrary to some of my colleagues in Europe, I did not rush to repeat some of the criticisms that many of us have made during the election period about Donald Trump.  

“Ultimately, that if someone would want to rapidly change the foreign policy of a country such as the United States -- which is very difficult -- although some of us in Europe may fear that this may happen, what we should be doing is build bridges, not walls.  We are proceeding on the basis of common values.  We have more to gain from partnership, from promoting our partnership in dealing with the big global challenges.  

“I, therefore, believe in the near future, not much is going to change in the relations between the EU, Greece and the United States of America.  These are relations that were forged under very difficult conditions and rely on the common values of our people.”

 

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