U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell told far-right news site Breitbart London he wants to “empower” other anti-establishment conservatives around Europe to rise up against “elites.”
“I absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders,” Grenell said in an interview published late Sunday. “I think the election of Donald Trump has empowered individuals and people to say that they can’t just allow the political class to determine before an election takes place, who’s going to win and who should run.”
Grenell took aim at the political and media establishment, calling on conservatives to embrace “a very powerful moment when you can grasp the ability to see past the group-think of a very small elitist crowd telling you you have no chance to win or you’ll never win, or they mock you early on.”
The establishment was not amused.
“A cardinal rule of diplomacy is that Ambassadors must not interfere in the domestic politics of the countries to which they are accredited,” tweeted former diplomat Nicholas Burns, who served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO and Greece.
“U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell makes clear he is a political activist who will use his position to promote political change in his host country (and all over Europe),” wrote Mathieu von Rohr, the deputy head of the foreign desk at Der Spiegel.
Grenell also told Breitbart he’s a “big fan” of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz from the right-wing Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).
“I think Sebastian Kurz is a rockstar,” Grenell said.
The diplomat has proved a divisive figure since his arrival in Germany, ruffling feathers shortly after taking up his new role by tweeting that German companies “should wind down operations immediately” in Iran, after the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear pact with the country — despite Europe remaining on board with the deal.