Mark Rutte came prepared for his latest visit to Washington in late June.
As Donald Trump complained about European allies and their reluctance to support the United States during the war against Iran, the NATO secretary-general responded with praise. Lots of it. And pointed to large display boards emblazoned with gold-colored headlines, one titled: "The Trump Trillion."
In front of the cameras, Rutte was in full pitch mode. "I want to show you what this president was able to achieve," Rutte told the press, highlighting an additional $1.2 trillion (€1 trillion) in defense spending by European allies and Canada since 2017, when Trump first took office.
Just days before a crucial NATO summit kicks off in Ankara on July 7, Rutte was doing what has become one of, if not his most, important tasks: keeping Donald Trump on board. The summit will bring together the leaders of NATO's 32 allied countries at a moment of growing uncertainty amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.
As the US reviews its military posture in Europe, many European governments are worried about how committed Trump remains to the security alliance.
