Donald Trump claims that the European Union "was designed to piss off the United States"

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday described European integration, a project Washington has pushed for decades, as rooted in an attempt to counter the United States. “Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was designed to screw over the United States,” the president told a White House cabinet meeting. “I love the countries of Europe. I love all of these countries, I really do, all different. But the EU (European Union) was designed to screw over the United States. That was the goal and they succeeded,” said the Republican president, who has been attacking Europeans with rare virulence since returning to power.

The European Union has been a "godsend" for America, the Commission responded to Donald Trump on Wednesday. "The European Union is the largest free trade market in the world," a spokesperson for the European executive said in a long statement responding to the Republican billionaire's remarks. "And it has been a godsend for the United States." The Commission called for "working together to preserve these opportunities for our citizens and businesses. Not against each other," the text added. "By creating a large and integrated single market, the EU has facilitated trade, reduced costs for American exporters and harmonised standards and regulations across 27 countries," he insisted.