NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte provided unusually candid encomium to former U.S. President Donald Trump in a personal message he himself shared, praising his recent military intervention against Iran and lauding him for doing something "no American president in decades could have done.
Mr. President, dear Donald," the message started, Trump tweeted on his social media page, using a screenshot as evidence.
"Thank you and congratulations on your bold move in Iran, that was really amazing, and something nobody else would have had the courage to do. It makes all of us safer.
This gushing statement was not from a political friend or campaign donor, but from the Dutch politician who is chairing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The tone indicated something warmer than normal diplomatic boilerplate—perhaps part of a larger strategy to stay in good graces with Trump before he arrives at the two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands.
Rutte’s message went on to applaud Trump’s influence over alliance members regarding defense spending. “You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” Rutte wrote, referencing the new collective defense pledge. “It was not easy but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”—a nod to Trump’s demand that NATO members allocate 5% of their GDP toward defense, up from the earlier 2% benchmark.
"Donald, you have brought us to a truly, truly pivotal time for Europe and America, and the world," the message went on. "Europe will pay big, as they should, and it will be your victory. Safe travels and see you at His Majesty's dinner!"
NATO on Tuesday confirmed that the message was actually sent by Rutte but declined to describe the method used to send it.
The type and size of the font on the screenshot Trump posted indicate that it could have been delivered using Signal, an encrypted messaging system that is famous for its disappearing messages—leaving one wondering how these kind of communications are being saved as part of official U.S. presidential records.
This follows previous controversy surrounding Signal. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously come under fire for supposedly using the app to share classified intel on a U.S. attack in Yemen. Trump, when questioned about the controversy, replied: "I have no idea what Signal is. I don't care what Signal is," before concluding, "I would frankly tell these people not to use Signal."
The White House verified the validity of Rutte's message and stated that it was delivered to Trump through staff by way of a secure government device. They would not comment, however, on whether Signal or some other private messaging app was used.
This is not the first time Trump has made public personal letters from well-known individuals. Just last week, he shared a letter from Mike Huckabee, the American ambassador to Israel, who cited divine intervention in guiding Trump on Iran.
"There is but one voice that counts—HIS voice," Huckabee, a Baptist minister, had penned. "I am thinking you will hear heaven, and that voice is much bigger than mine or ANYONE else's."
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