Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts below to read more about the NATO summit.
President Trump arrived for a NATO reception at 10 Downing Street a few minutes ago,?with French President Emmanuel Macron, having apparently given the French President a ride.
He waited a few minutes and then entered with first lady Melania Trump.
Trump and Macron have had a tense day: It started when Macron described the long-time coalition as suffering?from “brain death” in part due to a lack of US leadership under Trump. Trump called those comments “insulting.” Later, the two held a news conference, where Macron corrected Trump about ISIS fighters.
What’s happening at the reception: A choir ran through Christmas songs as guests began arriving, including Hark the Herald Angel, Walking in a Winter Wonderland and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, was first to arrive followed shortly after by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stopped to admire the choir.
The NATO leaders are attending a reception hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and had come from a separate reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.?
French President Emmanuel Macron said although statements he made on NATO on Tuesday “triggered some reactions,” he “stands” by them.??
Some background: Last month, Macron described the long-time NATO coalition as suffering from “brain death” in part due to a lack of US leadership under Trump — and refused to back down.
Earlier today, President Trump described Macron’s comment as “nasty” and “insulting.”
Sitting alongside Trump in London today, Macron said he stands by his comments about NATO — describing it as a “burden we share.”
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have now arrived at Buckingham Palace. They got there at 6:06 p.m. local time.
There were some supporters chanting “USA” as the President drove through the gates.?
The Trumps headed to Buckingham Palace after having tea with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at Clarence House.
Here’s a photo from their meeting:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she’s approaching the NATO summit with optimism.
World leaders are gathering in London to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance, but tensions have flared between the US and French presidents over comments about the future of NATO.
Earlier today, President Trump said French President Emmanuel Macron was “nasty” when he referred to NATO as suffering from “brain death.” The pair also clashed over ISIS and Russia.
Merkel told reporters that leaders have to continually discuss the role of NATO.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump will soon have tea with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.??
They’re en route to Clarence House now, and seem to be running a few minutes behind schedule.?
President Trump, while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in London, attacked House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, calling the Democrat a “deranged,” “sick” and a “maniac.”
Trump was asked about Schiff, who is the chair the House Committee that had been conducting hearings in the impeachment inquiry, at the news conference moments ago, where both American and foreign journalists were present.
Trump continued to attack Schiff, claiming that he “made up” the President’s conversation with Ukraine’s leader — a call that’s at the center of the impeachment inquiry.
“I think he’s a very sick man.?And he lies. Adam Schiff made up my?conversation with the president?of Ukraine,” Trump said. “We have a perfectly beautiful?three or four-page transcription?and in the other case a two-page?transcription of the?conversation.”
Trump continued: “This guy is sick.?He made up the conversation.?He lied.?If he didn’t do that in the?halls of Congress, he’d be?thrown in a jail.”
Some background here: Trump has repeatedly claimed that Schiff “lied” about his call with Ukraine’s president.
At a hearing in September, Schiff mentioned the Trump-Ukraine call, but said he would outline “the essence of what the President communicates,” not provide “the exact transcribed version of the call.” You can read CNN’s full fact check here.
President Trump said next year’s G7 summit will be held at Camp David, after previously announcing it would be held at his Florida resort — and then reversing that decision.
“I think?it’s been more or less announced?we’ll do it at Camp David,” Trump said when asked about the location.
He added that there will be “good access” for the media.
“It will be at?camp David, which is a place that?people like,” Trump said.
In October, Trump announced that next year’s G7 economic summit of world powers would be held at his own Trump National in Doral, Florida. But just over 48 hours later, he abruptly reversed course and said the summit would not he held at the resort.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that while Canada has not yet reached the 2% contribution to NATO, it continually “stepped up” by sending troops to every NATO deployment.
President Trump — who has frequently criticized NATO members for not contributing their “fair” share to the alliance — was asked if there should be a plan to get Canada to 2%.
“We’ll put them on a?payment plan, you know??I’m sure the prime minister?would love that,” Trump said.
Trudeau said defense spending is up, and Canada is currently now close to 1.4%.
“They’re getting there.?They know it’s important to do?that.?And their economy is doing well.?They’ll get there quickly I?think,” Trump said.
That’s when Trudeau brought up Canadian deployments:
Asked about America’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year, President Trump said Iran wasn’t holding up its side of the deal.
President Trump then added that the US is “looking at doing an agreement” with China and Russia.
But the President had few details on what that would look like, adding, “It might not even happen.”
Following the US withdrawal, Iran announced earlier this year it was also partially stepping back from a landmark nuclear deal, marking a serious escalation in Tehran’s face-off with Washington.
President Trump clarified his earlier comments on Iranian protesters, saying, “We do support them totally and have supported them from the beginning.”
Trump added that he misunderstood an earlier question in which he originally answered that he did not support Iranian protesters.?
Moments ago, Trump began his remarks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by saying that he misheard the question and thought it was on whether the protesters were supported financially.?
Trump reiterated that the US supports Iranian protestors “very, very seriously.”?
He also tweeted about the protesters:
President Trump was just asked about the climate crisis, which is a key issue for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Asked if he thinks about the crisis, Trump said:
“I?believe very strongly in very,?very crystal clear, clean water and?clean air.?That’s a big part of climate?change,” Trump added, as he sat alongside Trudeau.
Some background: Earlier this year, at a G7 summit, President Trump skipped a session on the climate crisis. In the lead-up to the G7, Trump’s aides said he wasn’t entirely interested in the climate portions of the summit, believing them a waste of time compared to discussion of the economy. The President also pulled the US out of the historic Paris Agreement.
President Trump is attending another bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit, this time with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Moments ago, Trump finished a tense meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Like his predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush, President Trump has chided NATO members for failing to meet the alliance’s guideline of spending 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense.
But Trump has also regularly exaggerated US military spending. Sitting with Macron moments ago, he said US spending has been between 4% and 4.3% of GDP.
Fact check: The US is expected to spend 3.42% of GDP on defense in 2019, according to NATO?estimates?issued in June, similar to its 2018 level.
CNN’s Paris correspondent, Melissa Bell, was watching the meeting between the US and French Presidents in London.
While it’s known that the two have opposing views on many issues, we didn’t expect them to publicly clash, she said.
Here are her takeaways:
They were going to continue their talks but ended up having this very public row?on a number of issues that we?knew divided them: NATO, tariffs, Turkey and Russia. But we hadn’t expected them to?go at it so forcefully and so?publicly.
As expected, Macron hit back at Trump’s comments earlier in the day, and?specifically on that question of?NATO. Trump kept coming back to the?question of contributions — what proportion of defense spending members are paying towards NATO.
And Macron kept reminding him: This is not just about money. It’s about strategic positioning. This goes to the heart of the debate between to the two men.
Macron said that what counted was that NATO could decide how they should position themselves.
He essentially told Trump: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
French President Emmanuel Macron played the role of fact-checker when President Donald Trump repeated one of his regular false claims about ISIS fighters.
Trump claimed again that ISIS prisoners being held in Syria are “mostly from Europe.” This assertion has been repeatedly contradicted by Trump’s own officials.?
James Jeffrey, Trump’s special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition,?said?on August 1 that about 8,000 of about 10,000 terrorist fighters being held in northeastern Syria were Iraqi or Syrian nationals; he said there were “about 2,000 ISIS foreign fighters” from all other countries.
Macron responded that?“there are a large number of fighters you have on the ground: ISIS fighters coming from Syria, from Iraq, and the region.”
While it is true that some came from Europe, he said, they are “a tiny minority of the overall problem.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump just had a tense news conference at the NATO summit in London. The two world leaders clashed over several issues in front of reporters.
Here’s what happened:
On ISIS:
Macron corrected Trump about the number of ISIS fighters with European backgrounds after Trump asked if France was willing to take back French terrorists captured in Syria and Iraq.
“Let’s be serious: The very large numbers of?fighters you have on the ground are the?fighters coming from Syria, from?Iraq and the region,” Macron said.
He added that those coming from Europe are “a tiny minority of the?overall problem.”
On Russia:
Trump and Macron had different answers when asked about how NATO members should interact with Russia. Trump said, “I think we get along with Russia” — and then pointed to Macron and added that France has a similar view.
But later, Macron said that while it is “important to have?a strategic dialogue with Russia,”?leaders “must do so without na?veté.”
On NATO:
Macron addressed the comments he made earlier today — he described the long-time NATO coalition as suffering from “brain death” in part due to a lack of US leadership under Trump — and refused to back down.
“I know that my statements created some reaction,” Macron said. “I do stand by [them].”
Before the news conference with Macron, Trump described Macron’s “brain death” comments as “nasty” and “insulting.”
President Trump contradicted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today when he told the press in London that he doesn’t back Iranian protestors, despite Pompeo saying last week that the US does support the protestors.?
In a tweet Saturday, Pompeo wrote:??“As I said to the people of?Iran?almost a year and a half ago: The United States is with?you.”?Pompeo, attached his tweet from 2018 in which he told?Iranian protesters that the “the United States hears?you,?supports?you?and is with?you.”
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman slammed Pompeo for the comments.?
President Trump was asked for his view on NATO’s relationship with Russia.
Trump said his message of closer relations with Russia has gone down well with supporters, during his rallies.
“I think the Russian people would like to see it too,” Trump added, alluding to closer ties with Russia.
“The purpose of NATO can be much more, and I think we’ve shown that flexibility over the last few years,” he said.
President Trump praised the bystanders who fought off the attacker who killed two people on the London Bridge last week.
Dramatic video from the bridge showed a group of bystanders subduing the attacker, one by spraying him with a fire extinguisher and another.
When Trump was asked if he had a comment on the attack, he said:
“I think the way — I think they?were British citizens — the way?they stepped up was incredible.?That was really great,” he added.
Trump called the terror attacker “very violent” and said the attack was “a?terrible thing.”
French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back after President Trump asked if France was willing to take back French terrorists who have been captured in Syria and other regions.
“We have a tremendous amount of?captured fighters, ISIS fighters?over in Syria.?And they’re all under lock and?key, but many are from France.?Many are from Germany, the UK.?They’re mostly from Europe.?And some of the countries are?agreeing.?I have not spoken to the?President about that.?Would you like some nice ISIS?fighters??I can give them to you,” Trump said.
Macron acknowledged that some fighters come from Europe — but said most of them are from the Syria and Iraq region.
He continued: “The No. 1 priority — because it’s not yet finished — is to get rid of ISIS?and terrorist groups.This is out No. 1 priory.”
President Trump, when asked about NATO spending, said countries that aren’t investing enough in defense will be “dealt with.”?
Trump added that it’s not fair to the US — or to France — if other countries “aren’t paying their way” in NATO.?
Trump also said that NATO has made a lot of progress since he took office, telling reporters, “it’s very important to me.”?
French President Emmanuel Macron, sitting alongside President Trump in London, said he stands by his comments about NATO – describing it as a “burden we share.”
Macron a few weeks ago described NATO as being “brain dead” – comments Trump described earlier Tuesday as “nasty” and “insulting.”
“I know that my statements created some reaction,” Macron said in English. “I do stand by [them].”
President Trump claimed that NATO countries are contributing more financially because of him.
“They’ve stepped up and?they’ve put up a lot of money.?I told you it was $130 million — $130?billion, and that’s a lot.?And they’re now stepping up again.?It’s going to be $400 billion,” he added.
NATO members’ financial contributions have long been a complaint for Trump: In 2017, he chided NATO member countries directly?for not meeting their financial commitments to the alliance and declined to reiterate US commitment to the alliance’s mutual defense pledge.
Remember: Last week, the Trump administration moved to substantially cut its own contribution to NATO’s collective budget according to several US and NATO officials.
When asked about European fighters in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron said they only represent a small percentage of ISIS fighters on the ground.
He added that NATO’s “number one priority is to get rid of ISIS.”
Trump, sitting beside Macron, then told reporters: “This is why he’s a great politician, because that’s one of the greatest non-answers I’ve ever heard.”
Earlier, Macron said NATO doesn’t “have the same definition of terrorism around the table.”
“Turkey is fighting against those who fought with us,” he added in reference to its offensive earlier this year against Syrian Kurds who fought ISIS alongside US allies.
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are taking reporters’ questions at a news briefing in London. We’ll be covering it live here.
To an outsider, the differences between a “summit” and a “meeting” might appear negligible. In the context of a NATO gathering, wording has a huge effect.
NATO is not calling this week’s leaders’ meeting, a?“summit,” in order to avoid putting out a communique at the end, which President Trump may not sign, a?NATO source has told CNN.?
Given the difficulty of getting Trump to agree to the language of a communique and sometimes with him not signing at all, such as the G7 in 2018,?the alliance made the decision to just avoid one altogether.?
Or at least, that’s the wording they’re opting for now. Back in May, when the gathering was announced, NATO put out a press release calling it a “summit.”
US President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “Tariff Man,” is back in action — injecting fresh volatility into markets just as stocks had notched a string of record highs.
What’s happening: Trump told reporters in London that the signing of a US-China trade deal is entirely at his discretion, and indicated that an agreement may not come until 2020 — or later. “I have no deadline,” he said. “In some ways I think it’s better to wait for after the election, if you want to know the truth.”
US stock futures turned negative after Trump’s comments, and yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond plunged. The VIX, a measure of market volatility, shot up more than 6%.
Read more here:
President Donald Trump’s claim that even if the US were handed Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) on a “silver platter we would want nothing to do with it,” doesn’t chime entirely with US trade policy.
While it’s true that American companies are not interested in running NHS hospitals, they are very keen to win NHS drug procurement contracts.
So keen, in fact, that it’s stated as a specific negotiating objective in the Administration’s priorities for any trade deal with the UK.?
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he could “categorically rule out” that “any part of the NHS will be on the table in any trade negotiations” including pharmaceuticals.
“This is pure Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle stuff,” he added, according to PA news agency.
As the NATO summit gets underway in London, Boris Johnson is out and about on the campaign trail ahead of the UK election in 10 days.
However the UK prime minister did have a few words for NATO leaders back in London on Tuesday.
Johnson said, according to PA news agency, “My message to the President, to all presidents – President Trump, President Macron, President Erdogan, Chancellor Merkel, all our friends – is look, this is a great alliance, it has had fantastic success for 70 years, it has delivered peace and prosperity.”
Ahead of Tuesday evening’s formal opening of the NATO leaders’ meeting marking the alliance’s 70th?year, Johnson urged the allies to “tackle the threats” as one. He added: “Safety in numbers.”
The UK PM was also asked if he had procured a Christmas present for the US President, to which Johnson said he was sure “someone has thought of something suitable” but did not offer a suggestion.
Just in case you were wondering: the US and NATO delegations who met for breakfast Tuesday morning ate omelette, sausages, brown toast and orange juice.
Asked what he and President Trump had for?breakfast, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “It was, as always a great breakfast – and we had omelette and some sausages and brown toast and orange juice. So that was a great breakfast and, as always, paid by the United States.”
Russia is watching the changes within NATO “very closely,” as the alliance’s leaders gather in London this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
As for Macron’s comments about NATO’s “brain death,” Peskov said: “Whether some of its body parts are dead, that’s not really our issue.”
Nobody likes to hear that an old friend is “brain dead,” so perhaps it’s not surprising that France’s allies seem to be going through the seven stages of grief over?Emmanuel Macron’s pronouncement in the Economist?last month that NATO is languishing.
There was first shock and denial. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on November 7, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she disagreed with the French President’s description of the 70-year-old alliance.
“I don’t think such a sweeping judgment is appropriate,” she said.
Now in many quarters, leaders are stuck in the anger and bargaining stage. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Macron should “check your own brain death” before throwing stones at NATO.
Macron is no doubt hoping that a NATO summit and upcoming meetings on Ukraine will quickly move his critics on to the stages of acceptance and hope.
Macron wanted to provoke and he succeeded, although perhaps not initially in the way he might have hoped.
Read more here:
When NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sat down with President Trump for a breakfast meeting Tuesday morning, he probably wouldn’t have expected the press conference that followed to last 52 minutes.
The President touched on everything from the UK election, to Russia, and international trade. But it was Trump’s criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron over comments about NATO’s “brain death” that has drawn the most attention from commentators and experts.
CNN’s international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, gives his take:
A Clarence House spokesperson tells CNN that the Prince of Wales and Donald Trump have developed a “good working relationship” since the President’s state visit to the UK this summer.
The President and first lady will meet with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at Clarence House for tea later on Tuesday afternoon.
During the Trumps’ last visit in June, the two couples shared a meal together at Winfield House – the US ambassador’s residence in London – and the images from that dinner appeared to show warmth between the two couples, according to CNN’s Max Foster.
The President is now on his way to a fundraiser in London in the midst of the ongoing NATO meeting.
The fundraiser is being hosted by Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for the Republican National Committee and Trump’s campaign. The event is expected to raise $3 million, the source said. The White House added the event to the President’s public schedule Monday night.?
The fundraiser will be hosted by Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, co-chair Tommy Hicks Jr., national finance chair Todd Ricketts, and Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale, according to the invitation.
The invitation lists?three tiers of donors:
In a wide-ranging press briefing in London on Tuesday morning, President Trump weighed in on everything from the French President’s “brain death” comments, to the UK election, and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Here’s some key takeaways:
On French President Emmanuel Macron:
On the digital tax on France:
On the Harry Dunn case:
On the UK election:
On China trade:
On Iran:
On Kim Jong Un:
On Russia:
The family of a teenager killed in a traffic collision that police believe involved a US diplomat’s wife, is calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to press US President Donald Trump to return her to Britain, when the NATO leaders meet this week.
Trump’s response: When asked by reporters how he would react to such a request, the President said he’s spoken to the Dunn family and “to the woman… who has diplomatic immunity.”
“You know I had his parents up they are lovely people, I’ve spoken to the woman who works for government who has diplomatic immunity and we are trying to work something out,” he said?in London on Tuesday.
Dunn, 19, was killed in August outside a Royal Air Force station controlled by the US Air Force. UK police say he was riding a motorcycle when he was struck by a vehicle that was traveling on the wrong side of the road. Sacoolas apologized via her attorney for the “tragic mistake.”
He just couldn’t help himself. Barely 30 minutes into his press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, President Donald Trump felt the need to insert himself into the already divisive UK election narrative.?
In almost the same breath, Trump said that he would “stay out” of British politics, before endorsing Boris Johnson and restating his support for Brexit. ?
For weeks, it’s been priced in that Trump’s trip to England, just over a week before the UK’s general, would be a moment this nation held its breath.?
Trump has a pretty spectacular track record of planting himself at the center of the UK’s politics, particularly on the matter of Brexit. As far back as 2016, Trump was keen to ally himself with the Brexit movement, even going so far as to invite Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, to speak at one of his campaign rallies.?
It’s no secret that Johnson was hoping that Trump would keep his mouth shut about the election during his short visit to the UK. Trump has said several times that he is a fan of Johnson. However, Trump’s unpopularity in Britain makes an endorsement from the President more a lump of coal than a stocking filler.?
However, the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, will be likely pleased. For weeks, his Labour Party has been doing everything it can to tie Johnson to Trump and claim that he is keen to sell off the UK’s National Health Service to America.?
Trump also felt it necessary to give Johnson a helping hand by saying that even if the US were handed the NHS “on a silver-platter we would want nothing to do with it.”?
If that’s true, the President really needs to have a word with his own trade department. It’s very clearly stated in the administration’s own priorities for a trade deal with the UK that big pharma would have to have a fair crack at NHS contracts.?
So early into the visit the President has 1) broken a promise and 2) told a half-truth.
It’s going to be a long 48 hours.?
President Trump said he would “stay out of it,” when asked about the upcoming UK election, before adding that he’s a fan of Brexit, and that he thinks British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “is very capable and he will do a good job”
Trump said he is keeping out of the topic because, “I don’t want to complicate it.”
He later added, “I have no thoughts on it. It’s going to be a very important election for this great country, but I have no thoughts on it.”?
When asked if he could work with Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, should his party win a majority in the election, Trump said: “I can work with anybody, I am a very easy person to work with.”
Trump also confirmed he will be meeting Johnson during his two-day London visit.
Trump’s visit comes just 10 days ahead of the UK election, causing jitters among Johnson’s Conservative Party.
US President Donald Trump has called French President Emmanuel Macron’s “brain death” comments around NATO “nasty.”
It’s a comment that’s likely to rear its head many times over the following days.
So what did Macron actually say in his interview with the Economist last month? He warned that Europe is facing the “brain death of NATO,” caused by American indifference to the transatlantic alliance.
Read more here:
President Donald Trump’s commitment to NATO has been often been questioned. In the past he’s branded the alliance “obsolete” and complained frequently about the amount other member countries contribute to it.
“It (NATO) got to be unfair for the United States because the United States pays a disproportionate amount,” Trump told reporters as he sat alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday morning.
In the same breath, Trump then took aim at at French President Emmanuel Macron over his comments last month to the Economist that the alliance was facing “brain death.”
“It’s a nasty statement,” said Trump.
“It’s a very tough statement to make, when you have a tough situation in France,” Trump added.
The President criticized France’s “very high unemployment rate” and political strife caused by the yellow vests movement.
The US President appeared to take a softer line on NATO during the press conference, praising the alliance’s “flexibility” and willingness to change with the times.
President Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are taking questions ahead of a working breakfast at the US ambassador’s residence this morning.
US President Donald Trump is in London for two days of meetings over NATO – an alliance he has repeatedly cast doubt on – sparking uncertainty about what he might say.
The President is slated for what could be a tense meeting with Emmanuel Macron in London on Tuesday following the French President’s warning last month that American indifference to the alliance is leading to the “brain death of NATO.”?
He is also scheduled to have breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the US ambassador’s residence and later have tea with Prince Charles, followed by an evening reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen.
Trump will then head to 10 Downing Street for a leader’s reception hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Here’s a complete rundown of today’s events:
Donald Trump is a very unpopular man in the UK. Which is unfortunate, given he’s here for the next couple of days for a meeting of NATO leaders.
Visits of the US President are hard to predict, but?Trump’s last two trips?to Britain followed a pattern.
First, there’s the build-up, in which political groups across the spectrum announce their plans to protest against Trump as soon as he sets foot on British soil.
Then there’s the President’s obligatory dig at Sadiq Khan, the popular Mayor of London, over the city’s knife crime epidemic. He might skip that tradition this time, given the deadly?terror attack that took place in London last week.?But his dislike of Khan is profound, and it could be too tempting.
There’s usually a “surprise” newspaper interview, in which he sticks his nose into British politics and offends a major political figure. That’s often followed by a press conference where he tries to clean up the mess, but usually just ends up tying himself in a knot of contradictions.
The visits are usually more of a spectacle than anything else. This time, however, Trump lands just a few days before the UK holds what could be the most important general election in the nation’s postwar history. And any unexpected grenades Trump chooses to hurl could have consequences beyond a two-day political storm and affect the outcome of an actual election.
Read more here:
NATO leaders gathering to mark the alliance’s 70th anniversary in London face multiple challenges – including the uncertainty of what?President Donald Trump?might do.
Trump opened last year’s NATO summit with a?snarling dismissal?of its “delinquent” members for not spending more on their defense budgets and a jibe at Germany for being “a captive of Russia.”
This year, Trump is under new pressure – the 2020 election campaign has begun and he faces an impeachment inquiry that begins its next phase before the House judiciary committee on December 4, the second day of the NATO meeting.
The concern, say NATO watchers, is that the gathering of world leaders will provide an irresistible international stage for the US President to let rip with another series of blistering attacks on NATO members to fire up his base back home.
Read more here:
