ECB President: Trump is a 'threat' to Europe

Specifically, according to RT, Ms. Lagarde warned that, based on the assessment of the policies that Mr. Donald Trump pursued during his first term in office, the possibility of him being elected US President in 2024 "is clearly a threat" to Europe.

Ms. Lagarde's statement was made in an interview with France 2 channel on January 11, in the context of EU leaders increasingly worried about the possibility of Mr. Trump winning the election next November.

“If we learn from what happened, I mean from the way Mr Trump conducted himself in the first four years of his term, it is clearly a threat,” Ms Lagarde said.

“Just look at trade tariffs, NATO commitments, the fight against climate change,” she added, noting that “in these three areas alone, in the past, US interests have not aligned with European interests.”

Ms Lagarde, who has headed the ECB since November 2019, has previously criticized Mr Trump, particularly on trade tariffs. However, RT said her latest comments were unusually harsh for the head of a central bank, a role that is not usually associated with politics.

Meanwhile, as the 2024 race enters its climax, incumbent US President Joe Biden faces declining approval ratings. According to Gallup, Mr. Biden ended 2023 with a job approval rating of just 39%, the lowest of any of the last seven US presidents at the same point in their first terms. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump ended his term with an approval rating of 45%, while former President Barack Obama had a slightly lower rating of 43%.

According to RT, Mr. Trump is currently involved in legal battles in Maine and Colorado after both states stripped him of his right to run for office. In addition, there are four separate criminal cases that the former US President is facing. Mr. Trump has called the allegations against him a political “witch hunt.”