A phone call by Donald Trump to his French counterpart did not go very well with the newly-elected President demanding the United States get a refund on money spent on NATO.
According to a report from Politico, Trump spoke with French President Francois Hollande on Jan. 28 and while part of the conversation went well, they claim the president hounded Hollande about money.
Speaking with Politico, a senior official with knowledge of the call said that Trump seemed obsessed with NATO costs and stated that he thinks the U.S. is being taken advantage of by China and by international organizations like NATO.
“It was a difficult conversation, because he talks like he’s speaking publicly,” the official explained. “It's not the usual way heads of state speak to each other. He speaks with slogans and the conversation was not completely organized.”
According to the official, Trump said he was fine with the French involvement with NATO but the U.S. “wants our money back."
According to a White House press release on the phone call, "President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO and noted the importance of all NATO Allies sharing the burden on defense spending. The leaders also lauded our combined efforts to eliminate ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”
This is not the first run-in Trump has had with a world leader. Last week Trump reportedly got into a spat with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week over a deal that his government struck with the Obama administration to accept 1,250 refugees.
Additionally Trump reportedly argued Mexico's President Peña Nieto, however a spokesperson for the Mexico's top leader said there were no threats.
Speaking at the National Prayer Conference last week, Trump mentioned his calls with world leaders, telling the attendees: “When you hear about the tough phone calls I’m having, don’t worry about it. Just don’t worry about it.”
