Shortly after his inauguration, the new-old president of the United States might be coming to the Netherlands.
He’s not here to see the tulips and windmills, though — he’ll be trying to convince NATO states to increase their military spending.
Pulling out all the stops
The NATO summit, which will be held on June 24 and 25 in The Hague, will be the largest summit ever held in the Netherlands.
Though his arrival has yet to be confirmed, the government is counting on Donald Trump’s presence. Minister of Foreign Affairs Veldkamp is optimistic about the possibility.
“The fact that Trump has nominated a new American ambassador to the Netherlands so quickly, I consider a sign that he will indeed come,” Veldkamp said when talking to the AD.
Where would someone who’s used to his bedroom being decked out in more gold than a 17th-century cathedral sleep when coming to the lowlands? The prestigious Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk.
This is the same hotel where former president Obama stayed during his 2014 visit to the Netherlands, and rooms for Trump and his delegation have already been booked.
The hotel isn’t just appropriately luxurious; it’s also easy to secure, making it a popular choice for world leaders. At the time of Trump’s (potential) stay, it’s already fully booked.
A huge NATO budget
It would be important for Trump to attend the NATO summit, but his arrival is uncertain due to a familiar culprit: disagreements about the budget.
Trump is advocating for member states to increase their NATO budget from the current 2% of their GDP to 5%.
This is somewhat in line with the former Dutch Prime Minister, and current NATO Secretary General, Rutte’s wishes — he wants the new budget to exceed 3% of member states’ GDPs.
Apparently, Trump and Rutte’s motto is to aim high since they are pushing for NATO budgetary increases at a time when almost a third of the member states don’t reach the current standard of 2%.
The Dutch government is worried that Trump wouldn’t come if a deal about allocating more money to NATO isn’t reached before the June summit.
Whether Trump decides to fill that room in Huis ter Duin or not, The Hague is going to be busy in June.
About 6,000 delegates and 2,000 journalists will be present at the summit, including 44 heads of state or government leaders.
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Feature image: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0
I think it is fantastic that the Dutch would finally meet Mr. Trump.
He is going to change the world and help Europe defend against russia. !!
Huh? Trump is Putin’s asset. They are bed buddies. Trump should not be allowed to leave the US for the Netherlands, even if does have an orange face. He is a stain on the human race.