Donald Trump has committed an action that some might consider a major breach of etiquette — he disclosed a private text message.
As president, Trump has access to the contact information of numerous high-profile individuals, including NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte.
Since returning to office earlier this year, Trump has been making significant impacts in the political sphere, notably with his tariff increases. Recently, he has also re-entered the arena of foreign policy by ordering an air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
This decision by the President of the United States has sparked varied reactions from global leaders. Some praised the move as a measure to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities, while others raised concerns about the potential escalation into a larger conflict.
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EVERYTHING US ALLIES HAVE SAID ABOUT AMERICA’S ATTACK ON IRAN
Among those who support Trump’s air strike is Mark Rutte, who expressed his approval in a text message to 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 stated, as reported by The Telegraph.
During the ongoing NATO summit in the Netherlands, Rutte mentioned in his message sent on June 24: “You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It wasn’t easy but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”
The mentioned percentage refers to the portion of each nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that will be allocated to military spending, a significant demand made by Trump.
In another part of Rutte’s enthusiastic message to Trump, he detailed expectations for the NATO summit, stating: “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.”
A recent update on June 25 confirmed that the five percent agreement has been reached, which means that NATO member states, including European countries, will allocate five percent of GDP annually to defense and security over the next decade, according to BBC.
Following this development, Rutte addressed summit attendees: “For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden. That changes today.”
Adding his thoughts, Trump described the decision as a ‘great victory for everybody’.
The NATO official also addressed the media regarding Trump’s decision to share his private text, asserting that there was no confidential information in the message and emphasizing that without President Trump’s influence, the two percent defense spending target for NATO countries would not have been realized.