Prime Minister Edi Rama said Thursday that the so-called “Flamingo Revolution” in Tirana was driven largely by opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, arguing that political opponents of the American leader amplified environmental concerns in Albania for political purposes.

Speaking during a discussion in Dublin, Rama claimed that the environmental controversy surrounding flamingos in Albania would not have attracted international attention without what he described as the political shadow of Trump.

“Let’s be honest, this Flamingo Revolution, whose name is appealing, is a result of hatred against Donald Trump,” Rama said. “If Donald Trump’s shadow were not in the background of this environmental issue, you would not have heard about flamingos in Albania.”

Rama argued that political opponents of Trump had turned the issue into a broader political confrontation in Albania, comparing the situation to Julius Caesar's historical connection with southern Albania in his struggle against Pompey.

The Albanian prime minister also addressed the protests that took place in Tirana in June, saying their character had subsequently changed, with political forces from both the far right and far left becoming increasingly involved.

He rejected claims that hundreds of thousands of people had participated in the demonstrations, arguing that such figures were inconsistent with Albania's population and the capacity of Tirana's main boulevard.

Rama acknowledged that the June demonstrations had been significant, adding that his government had responded by accelerating efforts to improve public access to online government services.

Addressing allegations of foreign interference, Rama said Iran had attempted to influence the protests through social media, but stressed that he had never claimed demonstrators were directly sent into the streets by the Iranian regime.

“After the beginning of June, the protests were no longer the same. There were no more flamingos. There were other birds and political parties from the extreme right and the extreme left. Then there was violence,” he said.

Rama also acknowledged that corruption remains a problem in Albania but defended his government's record, arguing that the authorities are actively fighting it.

“Are there problems with corruption? Yes. But are you sitting with your hands tied, or are you fighting it? We are fighting it for the first time,” Rama said, adding that Albania was in a strong position.