Tusk: Calling EU a US Foe is 'Fake News'

European Council President Donald Tusk, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
European Council President Donald Tusk, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Tusk: Calling EU a US Foe is 'Fake News'

European Council President Donald Tusk, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
European Council President Donald Tusk, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

EU President Donald Tusk has slammed US President Donald Trump, saying he was "spreading fake news" by calling Europe a US foe.

Trump said the European Union was a foe in trade while also calling Russia and China foes in some respects, before his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday.

"America and the EU are best friends. Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news," Tusk tweeted late Sunday during an EU-China summit in Beijing, without naming Trump directly. 

Trump often uses the term "fake news" when he disagrees with news reports.

"Europe and China, America and Russia, today in Beijing and in Helsinki, are jointly responsible for improving the world order, not for destroying it," Tusk said in a separate tweet.

"I hope this message reaches Helsinki," the former Polish premier added.

Tusk echoed broader fears that Trump is tearing down the post World War II order in which the United States built a system of alliances and rules to advance peace and prosperity.

Trump told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday that "I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade." 

The US president also renewed accusations that the European Union was taking advantage of the United States in trade.

The Trump administration has slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe as well as on products from Mexico, Canada and China, sparking retaliation and fears of a trade war.

Tusk warned in Beijing that the trade tensions could spiral into a "hot conflict."

During last week's NATO summit in Brussels, Trump denounced European allies for falling short on NATO spending commitments, fueling fears about his commitment to the transatlantic alliance.

In the runup to the summit, Tusk delivered a blunt message to Trump to stop criticizing European allies.

"The US doesn't have and won't have a better ally than the EU. We spend on defense much more than Russia and as much as China," Tusk said. 

"Dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don't have that many."

EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also said the United States has remained a "friend" of the 28-nation bloc, adding "a change in the administration does not change the friendship between countries and peoples."



Blast at Los Angeles Sheriff's Facility Leaves 3 Dead

A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
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Blast at Los Angeles Sheriff's Facility Leaves 3 Dead

A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake

An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility has killed three deputies, local media reported on Friday, though officials have yet to confirm any deaths.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said an explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training in East Los Angeles. The spokesperson said the cause was under investigation and that they were not yet ready to confirm any deaths or injuries, Reuters reported.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that three deputies were killed in the blast, which took place when a bomb squad moved some explosives.

Hilda Solis, who serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in a written statement that "my heart goes out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the three individuals who lost their lives in what appears to have been a devastating explosion."

US Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that she had spoken with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna along with US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli "about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles."

Bondi said that federal agents were at the scene and working to learn more.