Fear of Trump 'blow-up' has NATO officials on edge as talks set to begin
NATO allies admitted they will tiptoe around Donald Trump at this week's summit in Ankara, and they're not even trying to hide it, according to a report from Politico.
European diplomats are pulling out all the stops to prevent a Trump "blow-up," using what one called "Trump management."
Speaking with Politico, diplomats were upfront about tactics to be used: lavish praise on defense spending increases, avoid divisive topics, and signal "unwavering" support on Iran policy. In other words: whatever it takes to keep Trump satisfied.
"There's no alternative how to approach him but to be diplomatic and not to extremely offend him and saying that we're stepping up," Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told Politico. "That's what we need to do and that's what we're doing."
One senior NATO diplomat bluntly added, "The aim is to keep one person happy and satisfied"
The problem is that Trump has a reputation for being fundamentally unpredictable. Grievances over defense spending, U.S. base access, defense funding, and the volatile Iran ceasefire could all ignite an explosion at any moment.
"If this conflict flares up again — which can't be ruled out — and then Trump again puts [out] statements that Europeans should step up," explained Gerlinde Niehus, a security expert and longtime NATO official, "then that topic would of course overshadow everything else."
Last week, Trump again attacked European allies over their defense commitments by writing on Truth Social: "Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal."
Even worse, German officials are now bracing for Trump to potentially derail the entire summit by demanding Europe contribute to a purported €300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. That demand alone could explode the fragile consensus NATO has been working to maintain, Politico is reporting.