what was said

“The European Union was formed in order to take advantage of us on trade, and that’s what they’ve done.”

— President Trump, in an interview with “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday

the facts

False.

European countries did not band together to scheme against the United States economically, and the United States has historically encouraged European integration.

The European Union was created in 1993 to expand cooperation between member states, establish European citizenship and introduce a single monetary policy with the euro.

But as early as the 1950s, predecessor organizations were formed among European nations “with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbors, which culminated in the Second World War,” according to the European Union’s website.

Wolfram Kaiser, a professor of European studies at the University of Portsmouth, said the United States and European capitals were bound closely by the Cold War, as well as political and economic interests.