What to Know
Danish Member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen’s message to President Donald Trump may have been short, but he made his feelings about Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland very clear. When speaking to the European Union’s legislative body, Vistisen told Trump to “f— off.”
The 38-year-old Danish politician was told that the language he used wasn’t appropriate, but people on social media are praising him for it.
Vistisen shared a clip of his speech on social media.
In the clip he shared on Instagram, he says, “Let me put this in words you might understand: Mr. President, bug off.” He wrote the same words (“Mr. President – bug off!”) in the caption, which is mostly written in Danish. Multiple outlets have reported that he told Trump to “f— off,” which he did in an earlier speech about a year ago.
At that time, he said, “Dear President Trump, listen very carefully. Greenland have been part of the Danish Kingdom for 800 years. It’s an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale. Let me put it in words you might understand: Mr. Trump, f— off.”
He also explained his stance in the caption.
Vistisen emphasized that he has been saying the same thing for some time now, but people didn’t listen. “Trump’s threats against the Kingdom of Denmark are completely unacceptable,” the caption reads. “Almost a year ago, I stood in exactly the same chair and warned against Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric towards the Arctic and Denmark.”
He continued, “Back then I also said it clearly. Had Europe listened then, instead of continuing with bad trade deals and giving in to Trump’s Arctic narrative, we would have been much stronger today.”
The Danish politician also noted that he was called out for using inappropriate language when speaking about Trump. “Subsequently, the Deputy Speaker of the European Parliament threatened me with a fine for inappropriate language,” he added.
But in the comments, people were cheering him on.
According to a lot of people who watched the clip, the “inappropriate” message is exactly what Trump needs to hear. “He needs to hear it and hear it OFTEN,” one person commented on the clip. “From one American trapped in hell here, thank you for standing up to him. We need more world leaders to stand up to him.” Someone else said, “Finally someone said what needed to be said.”
Many Trump critics feel like Vistisen was right in thinking that Trump would actually understand this message. From their perspective, trying to be polite with Trump has not proved successful. “This is the only language 47 understands,” a third Trump critic wrote. “We’ve been professional and negotiated to the max!! Thank you for standing up!”
