LOS ANGELES.–President Donald Trump was given a hero’s welcome after his successful military strikes against Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, then convincing Iran for a ceasefire, ending the 12-day war with Israel. Trump entered the NATO summit with a glowing letter from Secretary-General Mark Rutte praising Trump for his recent military operation but also his encouragement of getting NATO members to increase pay 5% of GDP, far higher than some members paying only 1.5%. Rutte thanked Trump for all his support, dispelling the Democrat and fake news myth that Trump wants to end U.S. involvement in the 80-yer-old transatlantic alliance. Democrats and the fake news accuse Trump of trying to destroy NATO, something disputed by Rutte’s praised-filled letter. Democrats and the fake news make up any story to discredit Trump during the 2024 campaign and now his presidency.
NATO concluded its two-day meeting with a joint statement of support that included Trump’s endorsement. “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations,” read the NATO communiqué. Rutte attributed the increase in NATO spending to Trump. Trump called the spending boost “something that no one really thought possible. And then said, ‘You did it sir. You did it.’ Well, I don’t know if I did it, but I think I did,” Trump said, not taking full credit. Democrats and the fake news accuse Trump of trying to cut NATO funding, when it’s exactly the opposite. Because of Trump’s demands, NATO’s more fiscally sound heading into the future. What are Democrats and the fake news going to say about Trump now.
Democrats and the fake news spent days reporting unsourced reports about bomb damage assessment, saying Trump bombing of Iran’s uranium enrichment sites didn’t destroy the facilities only set them back for a few months. But Democrats and the fake news had to discredit what was the most complex and successful military mission every accomplished by the U.S. military. Whether you’re partisan or not, no one can deny the precision B-2 and Cruise missile strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites. Whether they were partially or fully destroyed, no one said that Iran could not build them back again. Yet the fake news wants to give Trump a political black eye rather that recognize the benefits to the attack which essentially exposed Iran’s military weakness, after Israel spent 12 days degrading the Iranian military.
Everyone at NATO, largely defense ministers from EU countries, marveled at the mission Trump accomplished, not something anyone in the alliance could do. Trump B-2 Stealth Bomber strikes set back Iran enough that 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei asked to resume nuke talks, something thought unthinkable a few days ago. Trump goes to NATO with political capital to burn, hopefully using it to reign in Ukraine’s 47-year-old PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky who though he could pit the European Union against Trump. Zelensky rejected all of Putin’s terms for a ceasefire and peace deal, running to Brussels to continue funding the Ukraine War. Trump was due to meet with Zelensky today but had no great expectation that he would let Trump handle the peace negotiations with Putin. Putin said what he needed for peace with Zelensky call his terms blackmail.
NATO leaders infuriated Zelensky coming out of the summit with “ironclad commitment” to defend each member state. Zelensky knows that Trump vetoed any future chance for Ukraine joining NATO, even though some members would like to see it happen. Trump vetoed the idea because he knows it would be a deal breaker for Putin. Zelensky doesn’t take peace talks seriously, just wants more cash and weapons from NATO. “Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO,” Rutte told reporters after the summit concluded. “This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense,” Rutte said, referring to NATO showing unanimity on Article 5, requiring all nations to defend any member attacked by Russia or any other country. Leaders like Viktor Orban, a close ally of Putin, disagrees that Putin wants more EU territory.
Trump returns to Washington with undeniable clout from NATO, watching the Pentagon pull off the most complex military mission in U.S. history. No one can deny that the B-2 Stealth bombing mission went off like clockwork, no hitches or glitches, just remarkable precision. Rutte knows that Trump vetoed Ukraine’s NATO membership for the foreseeable future. Yet at the end of the summit, Rutte called Ukraine’s membership “irreversible path” to membership. Well, how’s that supposed to happen in the future when Putin regards it as a red line, preventing a ceasefire and peace plan? “We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership. Rutte has high praise for Trump but knows his position on Ukraine’s NATO membership. Rutte should stop provoking Putin and misleading Zelensky.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
