President Trump departed early Tuesday for The Hague to attend his first NATO summit since returning to the White House in January. The visit marks his first face-to-face meeting with European allies during his second term.
Upon arriving in the Netherlands Tuesday night, Trump is set to attend a formal dinner at the Royal Palace alongside the Dutch King and Queen. On Wednesday, his schedule includes the traditional NATO family photo, remarks by Secretary General Mark Rutte, the opening plenary session with alliance leaders, and a series of bilateral meetings. A press conference is scheduled before his return to the U.S. on Wednesday evening.
Trump plans to encourage NATO to boost industrial capacity for defense production and critical minerals. He is expected to hold meetings with select world leaders to reinforce U.S. commitments to allied cooperation, according to a senior administration official.
While en route to The Hague, President Trump posted a congratulatory text message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The message, saved in Trump’s phone as “Rutte,” praised the president’s “decisive action in Iran” as “truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do.”
Rutte also wrote that Trump was “flying into another big success in The Hague,” referencing an agreement to increase NATO member defense spending from the long-standing 2% of GDP target to 5%: “It was not easy but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”
The message concluded: “Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
