WASHINGTON — One year after President Trump was dubbed “Daddy” by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the annual summit of the Atlantic alliance, the chief executive is returning with plans for billions in arms deals meant to push Europe to boost military spending — and show that “Daddy isn’t going anywhere” .
Trump will arrive Tuesday for the two-day gathering in Ankara, Turkey, just three months after saying he was “absolutely without question” considering withdrawing from NATO in retribution for allies refusing US planes and ships access to key facilities during the Iran war.
The president chalked up his attendance to his fondness for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but administration officials expect Trump to use the summit to recommit to America’s role leading the 77-year-old bloc, even if he has to play disciplinarian.
“The takeaway from last year’s NATO conference was ‘Daddy’s Home,’ and after this week’s visit, NATO countries will be forced to concede, ‘Daddy isn’t going anywhere,’” said Taylor Budowich, a close Trump adviser and former White House deputy chief of staff.
“President Trump has rebuilt NATO in his image and the body will be leveraged to serve the interests of the West, and not the interests of the world in spite of the West.”
A joint commitment by NATO leaders to spend 5% of their GDP on defense by 2035, agreed to last year at Trump’s urging, calls for 3.5% to go toward core military spending with 1.5% set aside for broader projects that “protect our critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen our defense industrial base.”
An administration official told reporters Sunday that “we’re going to have billions of dollars in [US arms-sale] announcements on the sidelines of the summit” and that Trump and Rutte will “press European members to make their 5%-by-2035 pledge a binding commitment rather than an aspirational target.”
A White House official added Trump will know which countries are “playing funny math.”
“This Ankara summit is really the time for our allies to step up and I know that that’s what President Trump is expecting,” US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Sunday.
European nations and Canada have already committed “nearly $139 billion US dollars in defense spending, roughly half of that being on American-made equipment and weapons and munitions,” he added.
“That’s a good start, but some allies are doing more than others.
“Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way, and Germany is on track for 5%, reaching it in 2029, but many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately, and not only get on a sustainable path to 5% but get to 5% as soon as possible.”
Trump hinted at his likely tone on Thursday, posting a chart on Truth Social showing the US pays vastly more for its military than other countries in the alliance.
“Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!” Trump wrote.
“As always, Americans can expect President Trump to bring more deliverables home to our country,” said White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly. “The United States and our NATO partners will discuss frameworks to boost procurement of key capabilities and ways for American companies to accelerate and showcase our products.”
Fallout from the Iran conflict will loom over the conference — though it’s unclear to what extent it will overshadow proceedings after Trump signed a memorandum of understanding to begin talks with the Islamic Republic June 17.
Rutte visited the White House a week later to argue Trump was mistaken about European NATO members opposing his war effort — though the president made clear he was unconvinced.
John Ullyot, who has served in Pentagon roles in both Trump administrations, said Trump “was right to call out NATO leaders publicly for freeloading on US operations in Iran, and now they’re on the back foot going into the summit.”
European leaders rushed to flatter and charm Trump at last month’s G7 summit at Evian-les-Bains, France — with mixed results, as Trump expressed appreciation for his French host, Emmanuel Macron, before bitingly claiming that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had begged him for a selfie.
Trump will have a packed schedule over his two-day visit, including a Wednesday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as a sitdown with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda leader jailed for five years by US troops in Iraq.
Trump has floated asking al-Sharaa to deploy Syrian troops to clear out Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border, which would require the Jewish state’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
One of the most anticipated topics at the forum will have nothing to do with the military — as Belgians fume over Trump calling FIFA leadership to push for rescinding the one-game ban handed US soccer star Folarin Balogun ahead of Monday night’s knockout round game between the two sides.
The last NATO summit, held in the Netherlands, was overshadowed by Trump insistence on American annexation of Greenland from Denmark. Tensions have cooled since January when Washington and Copenhagen agreed to further talks to improve the US military presence on the world’s largest island — though the issue threatens to flare up again.
“We right now have governments in Greenland, Denmark, and the United States that want to solve this, and they want to solve it permanently,” an official told reporters Sunday. “The president put forward a solution as to how to do that, and it would be the United States acquiring Greenland. We still think that’s the best way to meet the defense needs of NATO.”
