{"id":2551179,"date":"2026-01-25T09:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nato-leader-hits-back-at-europe-during-summit-im-defending-donald-trump-6\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T10:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T15:00:16","slug":"nato-leader-hits-back-at-europe-during-summit-im-defending-donald-trump-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nato-leader-hits-back-at-europe-during-summit-im-defending-donald-trump-6\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO Leader Hits Back at Europe During Summit: &#8216;I&#8217;m Defending Donald Trump&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnato-leader-hits-back-at-europe-during-summit-im-defending-donald-trump-6%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2551179&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Dutch Prime Minister adn NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised president Donald Trump for pushing European NATO members to increase defense spending, saying Europe should \u201cbe happy\u201d Trump forced countries to meet the 2% GDP target and commit to higher spending (a NATO goal of 5% by 2035). Rutte argued Trump\u2019s pressure has compelled Europe and Canada to take more responsibility for their own defense and that NATO is moving in the right direction. His comments came amid rising tensions over Trump\u2019s renewed bid to acquire Greenland and his declaration of tariffs on several European countries until a purchase is completed, which has prompted criticism from leaders including Denmark\u2019s Mette Frederiksen and France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron. While some officials warn the Greenland push could harm NATO unity, Rutte rejected the idea that the alliance is in crisis and noted the continued meaningful U.S. troop presence in Europe.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>As much of Europe pushes back against President Donald Trump&rsquo;s bid to acquire Greenland, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is taking a markedly different stance, telling Europe that it should &ldquo;be happy&rdquo; Trump is in charge.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte credited Trump with forcing major European powers &mdash; including France, Italy, and Spain &mdash; to finally step up their defense commitments. Without Trump&rsquo;s pressure, Rutte said, these countries would never have agreed to spend 2 percent of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-official-trump-crushes-record-for-largest-gdp-increase-in-us-history-3rd-quarter-gdp-up-33-1\/\" title=\"IT&#039;S OFFICIAL: Trump Crushes Record for Largest GDP Increase in US History -- 3rd Quarter GDP Up 33.1%\">gross domestic product<\/a> on defense.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not popular with you now because I&rsquo;m defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense,&rdquo; Rutte said at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mamdani-slams-israel-and-nypd-in-unearthed-clip-claiming-there-is-a-conspiracy-connecting-the-two\/\" title=\"Mamdani Slams Israel and NYPD in Unearthed Clip Claiming There Is a Conspiracy Connecting the Two\">panel discussion titled &#038;ldquo<\/a>;Can Europe defend itself?&rdquo; at the World Economic Forum, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/donald-trump-europe-stronger-nato-mark-rutte-defense-spending\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte&rsquo;s remarks contrast sharply with the criticism Trump has faced from other European leaders over Greenland.<\/p>\n<p>Since early January, the president has renewed his push to acquire the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/journalism-is-not-sedition-blinken-slams-police-raid-on-hong-kong-news-outlet\/\" title=\"\u2018Journalism Is Not Sedition\u2019: Blinken Slams Police Raid On Hong Kong News Outlet\">semi-autonomous territory<\/a> within the Kingdom of Denmark. On Saturday, Trump escalated tensions further, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2026\/01\/17\/trump-tariffs-europe-greenland-purchase-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announcing<\/a> sweeping tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, and Finland. Under his plan, a 10 percent tariff takes effect Feb. 1, rising to 25 percent on June 1, and remaining in place until what Trump described as the &ldquo;Complete and Total purchase of Greenland&rdquo; is finalized.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>European officials, including Danish Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/denmark-greenland-trump-2b12bb104faaaafda2ed270febfb0522\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mette Frederiksen<\/a>, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, have voiced strong opposition, warning of potential fallout for NATO. Frederiksen has warned that a U.S. takeover could spell the end of the alliance and did not rule out military action to defend Greenland.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who had previously left open the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-administration\/trump-greenland-use-of-force-nobel-norway-europe-tariffs-ukraine-rcna254786\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">possibility<\/a> of military action, said the U.S. would not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/greenland-trump-tariffs-trade-eu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">use force<\/a> to acquire the Arctic territory during his address in Davos.<\/p>\n<p>Rutte pointed to what he described as Trump&rsquo;s positive influence on NATO.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No way, without Donald Trump this would never have happened. They&rsquo;re all on 2 percent now,&rdquo; Rutte said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m absolutely convinced without Donald Trump you would not have taken those decisions and they are crucial, particularly for the European and the Canadian side of NATO to really grow up in the post-Cold War world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Last summer, NATO members agreed to raise their defense spending from 2 percent of GDP to 5 percent by 2035 after pressure from Trump, who has long criticized NATO members for failing to meet their obligations while the U.S. continues to shoulder billions in European defense costs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Americans still have over 80,000 soldiers in Europe&hellip; including in Poland and Germany and so they are still heavily invested in European defense. And yes, they have to pivot more towards Asia. So it is only logical for them to expect us, Europe, to step up over time,&rdquo; Rutte said.<\/p>\n<p>Asked previously if NATO was facing a crisis due to Trump&rsquo;s push for Greenland, Rutte rejected the idea, saying, &ldquo;I think we are really working in the right direction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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