'NYT on how Rutte kisses Trump's Ass and Yet Treats Him Like an Infant' --David Swanson
NATO’s Leader Has One Big Strength and Weakness: How He Talks to Trump Secretary General Mark Rutte is headed to Washington. His style has at times frustrated the very European leaders who need him to hold the alliance together. Listen · 9:49 min President Trump and Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, at the World Economic Forum in January. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times By Mara Hvistendahl and Steven Erlanger Mara Hvistendahl reported from Amsterdam and Brussels and Steven Erlanger from Berlin. June 23, 2026 Updated 10:21 a.m. ET When the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, met with President Trump in January, the alliance seemed to be teetering. Mr. Trump had vowed to seize Greenland from Denmark and refused to rule out using force to do so. This unprecedented threat, by one NATO ally against another, imperiled the alliance’s very existence. Mr. Rutte got his job in part because of his ability to calm Mr. Trump. That skill was being put to the test. “We can’t h...
