Slovak PM calls Trump's mental state "dangerous" after Mar-a-Lago meeting – Politico

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told European leaders on 22 January at an emergency EU summit in Brussels that he had been shocked by the mental state of US President Donald Trump.

Source: Politico, Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, citing unnamed European diplomats

Details: Two diplomats told Politico that Fico, one of the few EU leaders who often aligns with Trump on Europe's perceived weaknesses, had been concerned about the US president's "psychological state".

They said Fico had used the word "dangerous" to describe how Trump appeared during their private meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on 17 January.

Diplomats noted that Fico had made his comments during a separate informal meeting with several EU leaders and senior officials, not during official roundtable talks.

Politico stated that diplomats from four different EU governments, as well as a senior EU official, had said they did not know what Trump said to Fico to provoke such a reaction.

Fico's remarks are particularly notable as he is considered one of Europe's most pro-Trump politicians. He praised his access to the US president and expressed support for Washington's approach to the Russo-Ukrainian war in a Facebook video following the Mar-a-Lago meeting. Fico spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference a year ago, telling Americans that "your president is doing Europe a great service".

Fico's spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Politico. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly described the reports as "absolutely total fake news from anonymous European diplomats who are trying to be relevant". She emphasised that "the meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive".

An unnamed senior White House official present at the meeting said they could not recall any awkward moments or exchanges, adding that the meeting Fico had requested "was pleasant, normal and included some lighthearted exchanges that were captured by a White House photographer".

Background:

• Fico announced on 27 January that Slovakia would decline to join Donald Trump's newly established "Board of Peace".
• "I am saying this on my own behalf: I believe the Slovak Republic should respectfully decline this invitation so that we no longer spend time on it. Nevertheless, Slovakia will remain a country that has always called for, and will continue to call for, peace. You know that whether it is Gaza, Ukraine or other countries, we say: a peaceful solution, a peaceful solution and again a peaceful solution," he said.

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