Former President Donald Trump won major rockstar treatment and approval during the NATO summit in The Hague. The Dutch monarch, Willem-Alexander, welcomed him royally when he touched down in The Netherlands. This high-profile reception laid the groundwork for a string of crucial encounters, including one with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Our meeting — a major focus of the second day of our summit — invited participants to dream big. Attendees gave impassioned speeches about military spending and our nation’s foreign policy direction.
Trump expressed satisfaction with his bilateral meeting with Rutte, stating, “It was a great meeting. I think it’s a great time to end the war.” The ex-president was clearly enervated by Rutte’s praise for his daring escalation against Iran. Such repeated decisive military moves in his short career had won him this honor. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, rounding out the shared interests of their two nations.
Praise and Acknowledgments
This was the language of enthusiastic endorsement, and Rutte took to the task with gusto, lauding Trump for his past accomplishments. He praised Trump’s military actions in Iran as “truly extraordinary.” When the world’s recently become a much safer place, he praised Trump for that. Rutte emphasized the significance of Trump’s decision that “took out the nuclear capability of Iran,” asserting that it sent a strong message internationally.
“Mr. President, dear Donald, congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,” – Mark Rutte
Trump’s roundtable with Rutte offered much more sobering reflection on their previous, past disagreements, playfully comparing them to “two kids in a schoolyard” arguing at recess. This fun ambience emphasised an openness to collaboration and progress in their diplomatic history.
The former president published Rutte’s text message to him. In the leaked missive, Rutte touted his accomplishments and boasted about the developing friendship between them.…because I can tell you… that I’ve ended wars, okay? Yet strategic decisions made over the last few years filled him with an undeniable pride.
“They said, ‘You did it, sir, you did it sir.’ Well, I don’t know if I did it, but I think I did,” – Mr. Trump
Key Meetings at the Summit
Apart from his meeting with Rutte, Trump had another important interaction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the summit. He conveyed his concern for Zelenskyy by stating, “I just wanted to ask Mr. Zelenskyy how he was doing.” This meeting served as another opportunity for Trump to reinforce U.S. support for Ukraine amidst ongoing tensions in the region.
His trip was to include an inaugural meeting with NATO’s new Indo-Pacific partners, including Australia. Then, at the last minute, he pulled out from that competition. Instead, he put his hand on the scale in favor of his bilateral discussions, which he appeared to feel more personally invested in.
Trump came to the summit with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and State Department chief Marco Rubio. Their presence highlighted the prevailing defense theme that NATO allies must do a better job collaborating.
Strong Stances on Defense Spending
A key discussion point when Trump was involved was the uptick in defense spending among NATO member countries. He recently celebrated this achievement as a “big win” for the United States. He reinforced the message from his administration that we will do everything to make our allies pay their fair share for our collective security.
During the summit, Trump elaborated on Operation Midnight Hammer, a military operation he likened to one of the most destructive bombings in history. He stated, “That hit ended the war. I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki. That was essentially the same thing. That ended that war.”
Rutte agreed with Trump on expanding, improving defense capabilities, arguing that “tough leadership is sometimes needed to maintain peace.” He remarked, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” drawing laughter from those present.
