NATO officials try to convince themselves summit was a success, liken Trump to 'old uncle' who went 'nuts'

NATO summit opening ceremony.
(Image credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump's attendance at the NATO summit in Brussels wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but it went about as well as European leaders had hoped given their concerns, officials told Axios on Thursday.

Perhaps the disastrous G7 summit had NATO allies expecting more aggressive conflict with the U.S. leader, making it a relief when Trump merely badmouthed the treaty agreement, criticized Germany, and falsely claimed that everyone had promised to up their defense spending. One senior European official said that NATO members didn't take Trump completely seriously when he began talking about increased spending.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.