Since he returned to office at the beginning of the year, Trump has been making ripples in the political sphere. One of his most notable actions was raising tariffs. Recently, he once again became embroiled in international politics by ordering an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Other heads of state from around the world have differing opinions about the POTUS’ choice. While some praised Trump’s action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, others voiced worries that a full-scale war might break out.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte took the time to voice his support for Trump’s airstrike by texting the president.
“Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,” Rutte’s message read, per The Telegraph.
Rutte continued in his text message yesterday (June 24): “You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” referring to the NATO meeting now underway in the Netherlands. “It wasn’t easy but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”
Rutte was alluding to the percentage of each nation’s GDP that would go toward funding the military, which is one of Trump’s top priorities.
In his ebullient note to Trump, Rutte also discussed what Europe may anticipate from this year’s NATO meeting, writing: “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
According to the BBC, an update released today (June 25) revealed that the five percent has been agreed upon. This means that NATO member states, including European nations, will now spend five percent of their GDP annually on military and security for the next ten years.
Following the news, Rutte told summit-goers: “For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden. That changes today.”
Trump also weighed in, calling the ruling a “great victory for everybody.”
The NATO official also discussed his thoughts with reporters regarding Trump’s disclosure of his private text messages, stating that nothing in the messages needed to remain confidential and asserting that the two percent target defense spending for all NATO nations would never have been met in the absence of President Trump.