"Dear Mr. President, dear Donald," the message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte began, which President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on 24/6. "Congratulations and thank you for the decisive action in Iran. It was extraordinary, and no one else would have done it. This action makes all of us safer."
Rutte said Trump "is coming in with great success at The Hague, as we got them all to agree to the 5% level," referring to NATO members agreeing to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, something Trump had been pushing for months.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's message, posted by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social on 24/6. Screenshot. |
"Donald, you have brought us to a truly important moment for America, Europe, and the world. You will achieve what no US president has accomplished in decades," Rutte wrote. "Europe is spending the big money, which they need to do, and this will be your victory. Have a safe trip and see you at the King's reception."
NATO later confirmed that this was Rutte's message sent on 24/6, but declined to provide further details, such as the service he used. The White House confirmed the same day that the message was genuine and had been relayed to Trump on a US government device by an official.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the font and screen icons suggest the message may have been sent using the encrypted messaging app Signal. The secretary general's message is seen as an attempt to appease Trump ahead of an important NATO meeting.
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US President Donald Trump before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 24/6. Photo: *AP* |
This is not the first time Trump has shared messages from leaders or officials on social media. Last week, he posted a message from the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, saying that while Trump receives much policy advice regarding Iran, "there is only one voice that matters, and that is God's."
Huckabee expressed confidence in the President's intuition. "I believe you will hear God's voice from heaven, which is more important than mine or anyone else's," the ambassador wrote.
Nguyen Tien (According to AP, AFP, Reuters)
