Mark Rutte said Trump's leadership was key to NATO defense spending increase

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed that Donald Trump's leadership was the key to member countries agreeing to increase their defense spending to 5% by 2035. During an interview with The New York Times, Rutte underscored the Republican president's impact on the negotiations behind closed doors. He also highlighted his role in the Israel-Iran conflict.

The former prime minister of the Netherlands discussed the takeaway from the latest summit in The Hague with the NYT, emphasizing what it means for countries to strengthen their commitment to common defense. On this point, he remarked on the importance of Trump in achieving the new 5% floor.

Rutte commented, "Let's face what is happening: There were 7 or 8 countries in Europe not at 2%. So now it’s 5%—a new benchmark. (...) Do we really think that we would have been able last week in The Hague to agree to that 5% if Trump would not have been reelected as President of the United States?"

"So I think when somebody deserves praise, that praise should be given. And President Trump deserves all the praise. Because without his leadership, without him being reelected President of the United States, the 2% this year and the 5% in 2035 — we would never, ever, ever have been able to achieve agreement on this," he added.

Rutte was very close to Trump at the last summit, even calling him "daddy," an expression that soon went viral on social networks.

Journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro of the Times also asked him about the text message in which he congratulated Trump after the U.S. attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

"One, that he did an excellent job on Iran with the bombing of the nuclear facility. And as I said in that text message, you are now flying into another big success, which is a NATO summit, which will commit to 5 percent defense spending, and this is transformational," the NATO secretary general responded.