Leader of the Belgian far-right Tom Van Grieken has turned down an invitation to US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on 20 January.
The information, first reported by De Morgen, was confirmed by Van Grieken to Belga News Agency. He explained that he turned the invitation down as it clashes with his party Vlaams Belang's New Year's reception. "'Our People First' remains our watchword," he said.
Heads of State are not traditionally invited to the US presidential inauguration but this time round Trump has decided otherwise, inviting several foreign leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Argentinian President Javier Milei, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Xi Jinping also declined the invitation.
Like Vlaams Belang, Orbán is a member of the nationalist and far-right parliamentary group Patriots for Europe, which is the third-largest faction in the European Parliament.
Many members of this faction maintain close ties with Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Van Grieken told De Morgen that he was invited to join the delegation through the Patriots for Europe connection.
Von der Leyen not invited
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not been invited to the ceremony.
"We have not received an invitation and there are no plans to participate," according to chief spokesperson of the European Commission Paula Pinho. If an invite were to appear, "we will see," she added.
Von der Leyen is currently ill with "severe pneumonia" and is currently recovering at her home in Hanover, Germany.
