At home in the United States, his opponents protest under the "No Kings" slogan, but in Europe, nothing is too lavish when it comes to flattering Donald Trump's ego. That is why the US president spent the night of June 24 in the royal apartments of Huis ten Bosch, the palace of the king of the Netherlands. He was the only head of state attending the NATO summit in The Hague to have the honor. While he had breakfast with King Willem-Alexander, the other 31 leaders, staying at their hotel, could only hope that this display of grandeur put him in a good mood for their plenary session.
Thankfully, only one session was on the agenda. Every step was taken to reduce the risk of an outburst by this irascible and unpredictable partner. Just one plenary meeting, unlike the usual summit rituals. Just one dinner, hosted by the king and queen, with spouses – the ideal setup to avoid contentious topics. The presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the subject of lengthy negotiations: Many member states wanted him there, but his participation risked irritating Trump. He was eventually included in the royal dinner, a less sensitive setting.
The thorny issue of how to reference Russia in the final statement also arose. In 2024, the communiqué from the Washington summit described Vladimir Putin's country as the most "significant threat." That was under Joe Biden. In 2025, such language no longer suits the White House.
How far should one go to accommodate a US president who makes no secret of his disdain for his European partners or his contempt for the European Union? Faced with this dilemma for the past five months, the leaders of the continent chose to swallow their pride to avoid a rupture. So far, this approach has not been met with success.
On June 14, his birthday, Trump held two diplomatic phone calls. He recounted the first on his Truth Social network in warm terms: "President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well." The conversation, he said, lasted about an hour. He did not deem it necessary to inform his followers of his second call with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She was the one who posted on X about a "good call" regarding the Middle East, energy, Ukraine, and trade – a discussion she had been desperately trying to secure for months.
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