Trump's NATO trouble tour
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
President Trump hijacked NATO's summit within hours of touching down in Turkey, threatening allies and declaring the Iran ceasefire "over" as Washington and Tehran lurched toward renewed war.
The big picture: The carefully choreographed Ankara summit unraveled into the Trump show, with the agenda quickly overtaken by the president's grudge against allies who sat out the Iran war.
Driving the news: On his quick trip to Turkey, Trump opened new wounds and rubbed salt in others by:
- Threatening to cut off all trade with Spain, calling the country "hopeless" for refusing to let the U.S. use its military bases to strike Iran.
- Deeming talks with Tehran a "waste of time" and suggesting the U.S. could take out "every single bridge in Iran."
- Renewing his demand to acquire Greenland, which triggered a full-blown crisis in January and prompted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to pledge that Denmark would defend its territory.
- Floating the removal of "all of our soldiers out of Europe," alarming allies who have relied on the U.S. security umbrella for decades.
- Praising China, saying he's a "big fan" of President Xi Jinping, and cozying up to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Israel's objections.
- Making it abundantly clear: "I'm not happy with NATO."
The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up quick: Since the Iran war began, Trump has waged a running campaign to humiliate European leaders — even those who worked hardest to stay in his good graces.
- On Sunday, he posted a meme of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with the caption: "Restraining order needed" after previously claiming she "begged" him for a photo, which she disputes.
- He also pre-announced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's resignation a day before Starmer confirmed it himself in June.
Reality check: Despite mounting concern about rifts in the alliance, members reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense and pledged "unwavering support" — including security funding — for Ukraine.
- In the summit's most concrete win, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the U.S. will license Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air-defense interceptors — a capability Kyiv has sought for years.
- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who has heaped frequent flattery on the president, downplayed the divides, saying NATO was made stronger by the defense spending commitments Trump demanded.
The bottom line: NATO leaders are used to Trump's threats by now. What's harder to shrug off is the ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe — the biggest shift in the continent's defense posture since the Cold War.
Go deeper: Europe braces for Trump's wrath
