Speaking to the BBC after his speech on Thursday, Rutte said: “Donald Trump was absolutely right when he got us to spend more in his first term, he was successful, we’re spending a lot more than before he became president, so in that sense he was absolutely right.”
That’s why some in NATO call Rutte the “Trump whisperer.” And this, according to them, is a very important reason why he was elected Secretary General of NATO.
Back in 2018, then-President Donald Trump famously threatened that the US would “go our own way” if other NATO members – mainly in Europe – did not spend more on their own armed forces. Then Dutch Prime Minister Rutte was credited with reasoning with the US president, assuring him that costs had already risen and that he, President Trump, was the reason for this.
And now Donald Trump is ready to return to the White House, and Mark Rutte wants to maintain the US commitment to NATO and European defense. So Rutte is reaching out to Mr. Trump with the goal of flattering him again.
As a former prime minister, Rutte is well aware that European leaders are hesitant to spend much more on defense because voters across the continent have other priorities – rising costs of living, health, migration.
That’s why he called his speech today a “plea” to “the people,” he told the BBC.
“I’m really asking directly the one billion people who live in NATO territory, especially in Canada and Europe, to ask them to help me,” Rutte said.
“Call your politicians, tell them you agree that yes, it’s difficult, it’s going to mean a little bit less spending on some other items, but you want them, your politicians, to prioritize defense because it’s important in long term…
“I am asking: if you have children, grandchildren, if you believe that it is necessary to preserve our way of life, democracy, our values, then we must prioritize defense. And if we don’t do that, in four or five years we will be in real trouble.”
