After the latest NATO summit wrapped up in the Netherlands, Donald Trump received the kind of headlines the president likes to see. “Trump tallies wins as he leaves NATO summit,” Politico reported. The headline from the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, a frequent target for the Republican, declared, “Trump Wins the Battle of NATO.”
But as the dust settles on the international gathering, did the American president get what it wanted out of NATO, or did NATO get what it wanted out of him? The Washington Post’s summary stood out:
President Donald Trump issued a full-throated endorsement of NATO and its defense mission after a summit of alliance leaders Wednesday, in his most forceful backing of a group he once threatened to abandon. ‘These people really love their countries,’ Trump told reporters. ‘It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help them.’
For those familiar with Trump’s long-held perspective on the international alliance, the comments were as unexpected as they were refreshing. The Republican has railed against NATO for years, hinting at a possible U.S. withdrawal, questioning its value and utility — at one point even threatening to let Russia do “whatever the hell” it wants to our ostensible partners and allies.
As recently as a few days ago — literally earlier this week — Trump was repeatedly asked whether he was committed to honoring Article 5 of the NATO charter, which is a security guarantee that treats an attack on one NATO member as an attack on the alliance as a whole. As the Post reported, the Republican refused to answer directly.
“It depends on your definition,” the president told reporters before arriving in the Netherlands. “There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right?”
Two days later, at the international summit, he was asked again for his position on Article 5. “I stand with it,” Trump replied, offering a better answer than he has in years past. He added, “If I didn’t stand with it, I wouldn’t be here.” In separate remarks, Trump also said, in reference to NATO, “We’re with them all the way.”
The American president later said in reference to the NATO alliance, “I left here a little bit different. ... I left here differently.”
Of course, to know anything about Trump is to know that it’s important to focus more on what he does than on what he says, and it’s entirely possible that he’ll soon forget all of his new praise and compliments in the coming days.
But Trump’s previous appearances at NATO gatherings have been challenging and difficult, especially for traditional U.S. allies, so many sighed with relief when the American president not only failed to throw any tantrums during the latest summit, but left with nothing but nice things to say.
As for how NATO members managed to pull this off, the obvious answer is that member nations agreed to significantly increase domestic defense spending, in line with the White House’s wishes; but not every country endorsed the goal, and it’ll be years before anyone gets close to reaching the new targets.
Partners also excelled by figuring out what Trump wanted — that is, pampering and genuflecting flattery — and giving it to him, at no cost to the alliance. Bloomberg News reported:
The pillows had been fluffed at The House in the Woods, as the royal palace is known. King Willem-Alexander had a special guest staying overnight and a key role to play in the careful choreography unfolding in The Hague for the NATO summit with the singular goal of making sure US President Donald Trump didn’t pull the plug on the world’s biggest military alliance. He and fellow Dutchman Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, had compared notes ahead of their speeches at the state dinner and made careful seating arrangements — Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, a Trump favorite, was placed next to him. Alongside the charred tuna and veal fillet, flattery was served for the benefit of one.
It was against this backdrop that Rutte, at one point, even referred to Trump as “daddy.”
Was it embarrassing? Probably, but it was also effective. Trump showed a newfound respect for NATO; he appeared to commit to Article 5 in ways he’d avoided just a couple of days earlier; and he even left open the possibility of at least some U.S. security aid to Ukraine.
The American president appeared quite pleased with the summit, but given the circumstances, NATO leaders and members were even more delighted.