The recent comments made by the President of the Republic, who described Donald Trump as a “Soviet asset,” have continued to stir debate. These remarks have received attention both internationally and domestically, alongside a wave of criticism.
Among the critics was the leader of Chega, André Ventura, who argued that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa acted “extremely imprudently,” accusing him of “losing credibility.”
“The President of the Republic has the right to have his position as a citizen. It seems somewhat imprudent for the President of the Republic to refer to one of our greatest allies, the United States of America, to the President of the United States of America, in this manner, given the potential here to create a severe diplomatic conflict,” Ventura stated during a press conference at the party headquarters in Lisbon, on Friday.
The president of Chega considered the USA to be “from a military point of view, an economic point of view, and a civilizational point of view, one of the greatest allies” of Portugal, countries with a “long military relationship” who both participate in NATO. He, therefore, argued that Marcelo acted “extremely imprudently by making this kind of categorization about the president of a country that is both a military and political ally” of Portugal.
The leader of Chega today remarked that the President of the Republic was “extremely imprudent” when he said his counterpart in the United States functions as a “Soviet asset,” accusing him of “losing credibility.”
Lusa | 13:53 – 29/08/2025
The president of the Iniciativa Liberal, Mariana Leitão, also remarked that the President of the Republic committed “one of his regular oversteps” by speaking “more than he should have.”
“Well, [it’s] Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa doing one of his regular oversteps, as he has in the past, speaking more than he should and that, somehow, even calls into question the role of the President of the Republic,” the leader of IL stated yesterday to journalists in Grândola, in the Setúbal district.
According to Mariana Leitão, the role of the President of the Republic is “essential” and “should be protected from these types of controversies that don’t help anyone, don’t solve any problems. On the contrary, they spark controversies and now will force the government to potentially act over these statements.”
The president of Iniciativa Liberal, Mariana Leitão, stated today that the President of the Republic committed “one of his regular oversteps” by speaking “more than he should” in referring to Donald Trump as a “Soviet asset.”
Lusa | 20:31 – 29/08/2025
Criticism also came from a presidential hopeful who aspires to succeed him. Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo opined that the President “should not make personal comments.”
“The foreign policy of the Portuguese state is conducted by the government. Anyone occupying the Presidency — thus, the President of the Republic — should not make personal comments because they represent the Portuguese state,” Gouveia e Melo stated to journalists in the Algarve.
The candidate pointed out that the Portuguese state is allied with the American in “various alliances” and noted, “Our mutual security and defense are very important. I don’t think such comments should be made by the President of the Republic.”
Statements emerged following Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s comments that the American counterpart, Donald Trump, acted as a “Soviet asset.” As a candidate, Gouveia e Melo disagreed that Trump was a “Russian asset” and mentioned that it was “speculation.”
Ana Teresa Banha | 19:16 – 29/08/2025
The Secretary-General of the PS, who also spoke on the issue, downplayed the incident. José Luís Carneiro expressed no fears of “negative repercussions” stemming from the President’s words.
Declaring that he was not a commentator on the Head of State’s words, in statements to journalists in Faro, the Secretary-General of the PS expressed his “great appreciation” and “immense esteem” for the President of the Republic, highlighting his “important work for the country.”
“(…) I am well aware of the President of the Republic’s understanding of Portugal’s role in the world and who its allies are,” assured José Luís Carneiro, adding that “those who apparently feel very hurt” by Marcelo’s words “are those who attack the values that the United States has historically defended.”
The Secretary-General of the PS stated today that he knows the ideas of the President of the Republic regarding the United States and fears no “negative repercussions” caused by his words about the American Head of State, Donald Trump.
Lusa | 19:23 – 29/08/2025
Francisco Louçã from the Bloco de Esquerda also referred to these statements as a “summer factoid.” When questioned by SIC Notícias about the possibility of the Head of State’s words creating a diplomatic incident between Lisbon and Washington, Louçã dismissed this concern: “I don’t think it will come to that. I think this is a bit of a summer factoid,” he said.
“The expression ‘Trump is a Soviet asset’ doesn’t make sense because the Soviet Union ended more than 20 years ago. The term asset is associated with spy novels, and therefore, it seems inappropriate. That Trump has a strategic convergence with Putin… there is not much doubt about that, right? From this point of view, the President is pointing out a fact of international politics,” he remarked.
The Bloco de Esquerda’s Francisco Louçã commented on the comments of the Head of State, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who said that Donald Trump acted as a “Soviet asset,” considering that Trump and Vladimir Putin indeed have a “strategic convergence.”
Ana Teresa Banha | 23:43 – 29/08/2025
And what does the Government say?
On Friday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the matter. “I do not comment nor will I comment on the statements of the President of the Republic,” said Paulo Rangel in a statement to RTP. However, he clarified: “Foreign policy is conducted by the Government and thus it is through the Government that Portugal’s positions are conveyed on this stage,” completed the official.
It should be noted that the remarks by Marcelo were made on Wednesday, at the PSD Summer University in Castelo de Vide, in the Portalegre district. The President stated that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, acts as a “Soviet asset,” by favoring the Russian Federation in its war against Ukraine.
“With a peculiar and complex thing: it’s that the leader of the world’s greatest superpower, objectively, is a Soviet or Russian asset. He acts as an asset,” he said.
The comments were subsequently highlighted abroad, being analyzed, for instance, on CNN International.
Since these words resonated widely, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has not commented further.
