5 months Ago
While Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky played second fiddle this year, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is said to have kept the alliance together — albeit with some cringing about his sycophancy towards Trump, as some called it, being “embarrassing.” One viral moment came when Rutte, in response to a question that compared Iran and Israel to squabbling children, referred to Trump as “Daddy.”
Trump, Royal Praise, and Pickle Talk
Trump received V.I.P. treatment and stayed with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, whom he hailed as “beautiful and spectacular” people. Máxima dominated headlines with her green jumpsuit and facial expressions at an official photo shoot.
A dinner attended by both the queen, the president, and a large part of the Dutch business community included the famous pickles from Amsterdam-based jam and pickles maker Kesbeke and got company owner Oos Kesbeke joking about loading Air Force One with gherkins for the president’s next hamburger.
Trump’s height was also subject to discussion as his claim to be 1.90 meters tall was pulled into question in photos next to the 1.89-meter-tall Dutch king.
“He’s already shrinking — he already started shrinking,” one reporter joked, a reference to Trump’s advanced age.
Wilders Visits Trump, Maxima’s Slip, NATO’s Future
Trump posed for a picture with the Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, grinning like the cat that did something he took the cream because he didn’t know who Wilders was, and thought he was meeting “the opposition leader.”
The Dutch government denied any involvement, confirming later that the meeting had been organized by the US embassy.
Elsewhere, Queen Máxima let a summit location slip during a visit to Erasmus University and was recorded doing so on RoyalTV. Security plans had been kept secret for months, and organizers were dismayed — but the slip passed unnoticed by the public.
Red Carpet for Trump and Realpolitik by Rutte
Rutte prepared the summit with great care, especially with a view to Trump, according to the NRC. Critics wondered if he’d gone too far, but Rutte defended his praise, saying Europe’s level of spending on defense wouldn’t have escalated without US pressure.
Trump’s effect, he said, was to speed up a goal established long ago — even under Eisenhower.
A few awkward moments behind them, NATO leaders left The Hague with agreements in hand and plenty to discuss.
