Trump shares NATO chief's private text praising 'decisive action' on Iran
The message started by congratulating Donald Trump on his 'decisive action in Iran' and then got even more flattering, gushing about reaching the precipice of achieving 'something NO American president in decades could have done.'This wasn't an ardent supporter swooning or the president taking to social media to sing his own praises in his familiar ALL CAPS style. This was NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte heaping direct praise on Trump as he flew to a two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands.advertisement'Mr. President, dear Donald,' Rutte's message began, as seen by a screenshot Trump posted on his social media network. '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.'
The fawning tone may have been an attempt to butter up Trump ahead of a key meeting — the kind of effusive praise that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has adopted lately in negotiating and then announcing a recent trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the U.S. that is meant to ease Trump's promised steep tariffs on imported British goods.advertisementRutte continued, 'You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It was not easy but we've got them all signed onto 5 percent!' — a reference to other NATO member countries mostly having signed onto the new pledge to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defence, a demand the Republican president has pushed for months.'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,' Rutte wrote. 'Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win. Safe travels and see you at His Majesty's dinner!'NATO confirmed that the message came from Rutte and was sent on Tuesday. It declined to provide more details, like what platform the secretary-general used to send the message.The message appeared, from the style of font and screen icons present in Trump's posting, that it could be the encrypted messaging app Signal, where communications can be set to auto-delete, raising questions about the potential difficulties of retaining them as official records as part of presidential archives.Signal was at the centre of the scandal in which Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was accused of using the app, which is unapproved and unsecured, to share classified material about an upcoming U.S. airstrike in March on the Houthi rebel group in Yemen.advertisementTrump vigorously defended Hegseth, even declaring, 'I have no idea what Signal is. I don't care what Signal is.' He also said, though, 'I would frankly tell these people not to use Signal.'The White House said Tuesday that the message is authentic and was transmitted to Trump through staff on a government device — but would not speak to whether it was sent via Signal or another messaging app.This isn't the first time a leader has sent a message that he then blasted out for all to see on social media.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump, Iran, and 'daddy' drama: NATO summit gets weird
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte clarified on Wednesday that he did not call US President Donald Trump "daddy," despite media reports suggesting otherwise. The confusion started after Rutte made a comment during a press conference at the NATO summit, where Trump spoke about the escalation between Iran and an interview with Reuters, Rutte explained the context. He said, "And I said, that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'Hey, are you still staying with the family?' So, in that sense, I used 'daddy,' not that I was calling President Trump daddy."advertisementThis came as Trump compared the Israel-Iran conflict to two children fighting in a schoolyard. "They've had a big fight, like two kids in a schoolyard. You know, they fight like hell, you can't stop them. Let them fight for about 2–3 minutes, then it's easy to stop them," Trump said, standing next to Rutte at the summit. Rutte responded with a smile, adding: "And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get (them to) stop." Many interpreted it as Rutte referring to Trump as "daddy."RUTTE PRAISES TRUMP'S DECISIVE ROLE IN MIDDLE EAST CRISISWhen asked if he was overpraising Trump to keep him happy amid ongoing complaints about NATO's dependence on US support, Rutte said he didn't think so. "I think it's a bit of a question of taste," he remarked. Rutte called Trump a "good friend" of more than ten years and credited him with pushing NATO countries to increase their military doesn't he deserve some praise?" Rutte asked. He also supported Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites, saying it was a necessary step. "The fact that he took this decisive action, very targeted, to make sure that Iran would not be able to get his hands on a nuclear capability—I think he deserves all the praise," he in the week, after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Iran, Trump had made headlines with his blunt remark: "They've been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing."TRUMP RESPONDS TO 'DADDY' REMARK WITH HUMORWhen asked about Rutte's choice of words, Trump reacted: "He did it very affectionately," the president said. "'Daddy, you're my daddy," the comment drew laughter amongst also compared his strike on Iran's nuclear sites to the end of World War II. "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war. This ended the war," he said.- EndsMust Watch
Economic Times
23 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Canada to spend $150 billion a year on defence in historic NATO deal backed by Trump
ANI Canada commits to $150B a year in defence spending by 2035 in historic NATO pact; Carney calls it a 'generational investment' as Trump backs Article 5 Canada has pledged to nearly quadruple its military spending over the next decade, committing to spend 5 per cent of its annual GDP on defence by 2035, the most significant investment in Canadian military capability since the Second World War. The announcement came Wednesday(June 26) at a NATO summit in The Hague, where Prime Minister Mark Carney joined leaders from across the alliance in endorsing a new defence benchmark aimed at bolstering Western deterrence amid rising global instability. 'This is about protecting Canadian sovereignty and ensuring our Armed Forces have the tools they need,' Carney said. 'With our allies, we must ensure that Canada remains strong, unified and ready to confront the threats not just of today, but of tomorrow.'The commitment, if fully implemented, would increase Canada's defence budget to an estimated $150 billion annually, including $107 billion in direct military spending and an additional $43 billion for critical infrastructure such as airfields, bases, ports and cyber capabilities. 'This is a generational investment,' Carney told reporters, adding that the plan includes a review in 2029 to ensure it still aligns with emerging threats. Canada currently spends about 1.4 per cent of its GDP on defence, well below NATO's long-standing 2 per cent target. The new benchmark significantly raises the bar for all alliance members and represents a political victory for US President Donald Trump, who has long pushed NATO allies to share more of the defence burden. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump's influence, noting, 'Your leadership on this has already produced $1 trillion in extra spending since 2016. Today's decisions will produce trillions more.'In exchange, NATO leaders privately sought assurances from Trump that the United States remains committed to the alliance's foundational Article 5 clause, which treats an attack on one as an attack on all.'I stand with it, that's why I'm here,' Trump said when asked if he still backed Article 5. 'If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here.'Still, questions remain about Trump's consistency. Earlier this week, he said Article 5 'has many definitions,' drawing concern from acknowledged that reaching the 5 per cent target will require trade-offs. 'The people making sacrifices so far have been the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces,' he said, citing outdated equipment and warned that future sacrifices could include cuts to other federal programs or increased taxes.'If we're moving to higher levels of defence spending because it's necessary, then we'll have to make considerations about what less the federal government can do.'However, Carney insisted the spending will be phased in 'at a measured pace' to avoid cost overruns and economic disruption. Carney also used the summit to advance talks with European allies on diversifying Canada's military supply chain, including a potential shift away from American-made F-35 fighter jets. A final decision on that review is expected by the end of summer. He also signalled a longer-term interest in acquiring European-built submarines, with decisions likely after 2027. 'This is a big procurement process,' he said. 'But there's lots of interest in helping us with that.'
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Canada to spend $150 billion a year on defence in historic NATO deal backed by Trump
Canada has pledged to nearly quadruple its military spending over the next decade, committing to spend 5 per cent of its annual GDP on defence by 2035, the most significant investment in Canadian military capability since the Second World War. The announcement came Wednesday(June 26) at a NATO summit in The Hague, where Prime Minister Mark Carney joined leaders from across the alliance in endorsing a new defence benchmark aimed at bolstering Western deterrence amid rising global instability. 'This is about protecting Canadian sovereignty and ensuring our Armed Forces have the tools they need,' Carney said. 'With our allies, we must ensure that Canada remains strong, unified and ready to confront the threats not just of today, but of tomorrow.' Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo A costly commitment The commitment, if fully implemented, would increase Canada's defence budget to an estimated $150 billion annually, including $107 billion in direct military spending and an additional $43 billion for critical infrastructure such as airfields, bases, ports and cyber capabilities. Live Events 'This is a generational investment,' Carney told reporters, adding that the plan includes a review in 2029 to ensure it still aligns with emerging threats. Canada currently spends about 1.4 per cent of its GDP on defence, well below NATO's long-standing 2 per cent target. The new benchmark significantly raises the bar for all alliance members and represents a political victory for US President Donald Trump , who has long pushed NATO allies to share more of the defence burden. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump's influence, noting, 'Your leadership on this has already produced $1 trillion in extra spending since 2016. Today's decisions will produce trillions more.' In exchange, NATO leaders privately sought assurances from Trump that the United States remains committed to the alliance's foundational Article 5 clause, which treats an attack on one as an attack on all. 'I stand with it, that's why I'm here,' Trump said when asked if he still backed Article 5. 'If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here.' Still, questions remain about Trump's consistency. Earlier this week, he said Article 5 'has many definitions,' drawing concern from diplomats. What it means for Canadians Carney acknowledged that reaching the 5 per cent target will require trade-offs. 'The people making sacrifices so far have been the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces,' he said, citing outdated equipment and undercompensation. He warned that future sacrifices could include cuts to other federal programs or increased taxes. 'If we're moving to higher levels of defence spending because it's necessary, then we'll have to make considerations about what less the federal government can do.' However, Carney insisted the spending will be phased in 'at a measured pace' to avoid cost overruns and economic disruption. Carney also used the summit to advance talks with European allies on diversifying Canada's military supply chain, including a potential shift away from American-made F-35 fighter jets . A final decision on that review is expected by the end of summer. He also signalled a longer-term interest in acquiring European-built submarines, with decisions likely after 2027. 'This is a big procurement process,' he said. 'But there's lots of interest in helping us with that.'
