Love Is in the Air at NATO – for Strong Men Donald Trump Likes

Article content

Whatever it was, when Trump sat for his first briefing alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the summit was going sideways, quickly. 

Article content

He denounced his allies for not coming to his aid in Iran. Denmark was pilloried for capitulating to Adolf Hitler more than 80 years ago as Trump revived his ambitions for seizing Greenland. Sanchez was written off as a “terrible partner” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, lined up like other cabinet officials in support of the commander-in-chief, was ordered to shut down trade with Spain. 

Article content

Rutte kept attempting to interject, trying and failing to turn attention back to the $50 billion-plus package of defense contracts he’d teed up to win Trump’s approval. 

Article content

At the traditional family photo, Trump gave a V-for-victory sign to reporters as he arrived. It seemed less a reference to the Iran deal he had just declared was over and more his success in bending the summit to his priorities.

Article content

In the closed-door sessions that followed, Trump’s tone was more measured, according to people inside the room, as the attempts to curry favor started to work. 

Article content

Article content

Officials from Lithuania and Estonia, two of the biggest spenders, wore lapel pins emblazoned with the words “5% CLUB,” to show off their efforts to increase defense spending in line with NATO’s new goal.

Article content

Zelenskyy is another leader who at times has been publicly humiliated by Trump. But in recent weeks his forces have been hitting cities and oil refineries hundreds of miles inside Russia, persuading the US president that he’s now doing an “amazing job.” 

Article content

“He’s had the best equipment, because he has had our equipment,” Trump said as the two presidents sat together in front of reporters. “But somebody has to use that equipment, and you have a lot of brave people.”

Article content

In an unexpected twist, Trump said he’ll give Ukraine licenses to manufacture crucial patriot interceptor missiles.

Article content

By his final briefing, the US president was enjoying himself, switching into campaign mode and playing his greatest hits. He bashed Joe Biden, he mocked Kamala Harris, and declared that if he’d been a communist, he’d have been “better than Lenin.” 

Article content

“They said ‘Sir, we love you,’” he told reporters, as he reflected on two days of what he characterized as love and adulation from NATO’s other leaders and, finally, credited them for their spending push. 

Article content

“These are grown people saying this,” he added. “Maybe they’re trying to get to me.” 

Article content

—With assistance from Arne Delfs, Kate Sullivan, Donato Paolo Mancini, Ania Nussbaum, Selcan Hacaoglu, Ugur Yilmaz, Firat Kozok, Andra Timu, Kirsi Heikel, Daniel Basteiro, Volodymyr Verbianyi, Ellen Milligan, Milda Seputyte and Cory Bennett.

Article content