Backfire: TDSing European Parliament Member Gets Shut Down in Assembly When His Anti-Trump Fit Goes Way Too Far
Memo for politicians: Swear words are not substitutes for thoughts.
I know, this is kind of a hot take in 2026, where the way to show that you’re a new brand of politician is to use a word that requires some bowdlerization in publications with standards. Sometimes, it works. Heck, even the president uses it occasionally, like underlining that he expected both sides of the Israel-Iran cease-fire deal to, ahem, cease fire.
Profanity can work in public life — perhaps not as promiscuously as in the dialogue in a Tarantino film, but for the same reason: to underline well-written dialogue. It does not replace well-written dialogue. This is why people hold “Pulp Fiction” in higher regard than, say, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
I mention this because Member of European Parliament Anders Vistisen is the latest victim of replacing thoughts with asterisks. Vistisen is Danish, and naturally he’s unhappy about U.S. President Donald Trump’s overtures toward Greenland.
European Parliament is generally in agreement with Vistisen, because pretty much everything associated with the European Union is an affront to Republicans. However, even they have standards, and when Vistisen went viral for telling Trump to commit an anatomically impossible act, European Parliament told him he could do the same to himself in slightly nicer terminology.
So, speaking before European Parliament on Tuesday, our Trump Derangement Syndrome-suffering MEP “put this in words [Trump] might understand: Mr. President, f*** off.”
He was then interrupted by European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta: “I am sorry, colleague, this is against our rules,” Stefanuta said.
“We have clear rules about curse words and language that is inappropriate in this room. I am sorry to interrupt you, but is unacceptable, even if you might have strong political feelings about this.”
FOUL MOUTH: Danish lawmaker Anders Vistisen tells President Trump to “f— off” over Greenland — then gets told he can’t say that. pic.twitter.com/HGyzs6ytfg
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2026
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, this was precisely 364 days after he’d used the same term in Danish during a speech in the European Parliament and received the same chastisement. Stay classy, Copenhagen.
You may not be surprised that the usual suspects thought this was a great thing. It got positive coverage over at BuzzFeed, which is apparently trying its hand at being newsy again after abandoning journalism and serious punditry for its old-school “52 Cats Who Know It’s Definitely Time for Happy Hour” listicles:
Online, people are pretty stoked about Vistisen’s strong language. One person wrote, “Aggression must be met with aggression. No more polite conversation. Tell it like it is!”
“That’s what setting boundaries looks like. Europe isn’t normalizing bullying or imperial theatrics anymore. Respect = Respect only.”
Advertisement - story continues below“That’s the energy.”
Yass queen! Slay! Turnt! Total rizz with the cray-cray energy here. Is that tacky, thoughtless, and a decade-old enough for BuzzFeed, or do I need to throw in a “cringe” or two to really make it work?
Anyhow, when outlets like that aren’t busy puffing up Vistisen, he’s busy doing it himself.
“Trump’s threats against the Kingdom of Denmark are completely unacceptable,” Vistisen said in a post on Facebook which included the clip.
“Almost a year ago, I stood in exactly the same chair and warned against Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric towards the Arctic and Denmark. Back then I also said it clearly. Had Europe listened then, instead of continuing with bad trade deals and giving in to Trump’s Arctic narrative, we would have been much stronger today.”
Listened to what? The primary crux of his argument, such as it’s being expressed in the media, can be rebutted with two words: “No, you!” It’s not meant to underline anything serious or novel. It’s meant to show that he’s a new generation of politician — millennial, slightly scruffy, prone to using vulgarity when it gets them coverage — that’s even less thought-impaired than the old ones.
Surprisingly, this guy would usually be on our side; he’s a member of a populist-nationalist right-wing party in Denmark. (BuzzFeed readers: Make sad-face here.) But he doesn’t really attempt any coherent argument. He’s not adding to the debate, such as it may exist. This is the triumph of the id. He may call himself right-wing, but his closest analog in the United States would probably be Jasmine Crockett.
Yes, there is a real discussion to be had on what role Greenland will play in the security of the West — and in particular, what role the United States, which still handles most of the West’s defense responsibilities, will play in Greenland. One can only hope that Vistisen is too busy laughing at the bad words in “Goodfellas” to take any substantive part in it.
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