Add The New York Post on Google NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte aggressively flattered President Trump during a Wednesday visit to the Oval Office — sandwiching his over-the-top praise between a claim that Trump was mistaken about European allies snubbing him on Iran.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis
“I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking, your European allies have been there,” Rutte claimed — after gushing to Trump “how important it is what you are doing on Iran” and then showing him a golden chart titled “The Trump Trillion” praising the president’s efforts to convince US allies to boost defense spending.
President Trump holding an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on June 24, 2026. REUTERS Rutte presented charts showing the effect of the “Trump Trillion” on NATO defense spending. AFP via Getty Images Trump made clear that he didn’t buy the spin, citing the many European countries who refused to allow US warplanes to land during the Iran war.
“We were let down,” Trump said. “I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK… We were disappointed with Germany and France. We’re disappointed with most of them. Spain is a horror show.”
