Is Trump Popular In Europe? France's Hollande, Germany's Merkel Say New US President Poses A 'Challenge'

U.S. President Donald Trump’s new administration presents a “challenge” for Europe, according to French President Francois Hollande, who is nearing the end of what he said in December would be his last and only term.

“Let’s say it honestly: There is a challenge posed by the new U.S. administration, regarding trade rules and what our position will be on managing conflicts in the world,” Reuters reported the Socialist Party leader said Friday at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The conference took place just hours ahead of a planned meeting in Washington, D.C., between Trump and another key European leader: British Prime Minister Theresa May, who took power in the wake of the United Kingdom's Brexit vote to separate from the European Union. Both are largely supported by populist, nationalist movements in favor of trade barriers and strict limits on migration — stances Merkel appeared to rebuff at the Friday media event.

“Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we… can only master by working together,” she said, according to the newswire. “We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished and to the values of our liberal, democratic democracies.”

Hollande also embraced a message of unity, alluding to the need for a collaborative response to home-grown terrorism threats, such as the December attack in which a truck driver rammed his vehicle through a crowd in Berlin and a much deadlier attack in the southern French city of Nice in July.

“To be very honest, what threatens Europe doesn’t only come from outside,” Hollande said. “It is also from inside. This means the rise of extremists who use external factors to cause disruption internally.”

Meanwhile, across the pond, Trump and May were preparing to search for common ground on the issues of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, diplomatic relations with Russia and bilateral trade.