The Trump regime and its various lieutenants have shared so many different perspective on the European Union (EU), union officials don't know what to believe.
According to Reuters, comments Trump made during an interview with the news agency were so unexpected, EU officials thought it was a "hoax."
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - When Donald Trump called the European Union "wonderful" and said he was "totally in favor of it", some Brussels officials feared the headline was a hoax, given the U.S. president's earlier apparent disdain for the bloc. [...]
In the Reuters interview, Trump delivered a conciliatory message. When asked if he supported the European Union as a governing body for the continent, he said: "I do, sure ... The EU, I'm totally in favor of it. I think it's wonderful, if they're happy. If they're happy, I'm in favor of it."
What we already know and what EU officials will soon learn if they haven't already (it looks like they have), is that you cannot rely on anything Trump says including this. The manner in which Trump answers questions often leaves you wondering if he even understood the question, and this is no exception.
By saying he's "happy" with the EU if Europeans are happy with it, he can just as easily declare that Europeans aren't happy with it and reverse his position. And he'll do that without a shred of evidence to back it up. He may do that without even understanding what it is he's saying.
Mike Pence told EU officials that they have the Trump regime's support, but Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon told German officials the EU is a failure and supports breaking it up.
Trump's words of support have led some officials to believe there are "traces of pragmatism in Washington" according to Reuters but, as I said, you can't assume Trump even understood the question.