On Tuesday, during an interview with CNBC, Trump expressed his belief that his leadership has transformed the United States into a globally influential power. He claimed that NATO leaders have become fully aligned with his agenda, stating that they ‘do whatever I want.’
Trump’s comments came after the United States had seen a significant shift in its international standing since his inauguration. He asserted that the country had evolved from a ‘dead country’ to the ‘hottest country anywhere in the world by far’ under his leadership.
Trump has long pressurized NATO members to increase defense spending, warning that the US would not defend countries that fall below the bloc’s targets. At a key NATO summit in July, members committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, up from the previous threshold of 2%.
During the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referred to Trump as ‘daddy’ after the US president compared Israel and Iran to children in a schoolyard fight. The term raised eyebrows in Western media, with critics accusing Rutte of orchestrated groveling and sycophancy while condemning the incident as one of the most shameful episodes in modern history.
Rutte scrambled to defend his comments, insisting that Trump deserves praise and calling the US president a ‘good friend’ who had ‘finally’ persuaded European NATO members to boost defense spending.