Many of President Trump’s meetings with other international leaders follow a pattern. They are dishing out copious quantities of flattery, which you could refer to as “the art of the praise.”
During his February visit to the White House, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought a letter in his jacket pocket. Presented to Trump in the Oval Office with linguistic flair, it was an official invitation from King Charles III for a rare secondstate visit.
“This is very unique. “Never before has this occurred,” Starmer remarked. “I believe that the fact that this is unprecedented simply serves to highlight how strong our bond is. Thus, this letter is extremely special.
Then, in July, Trump was presented with another letter by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he said he had delivered to the Nobel Committee.
“It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved and you should get it,” Netanyahu told Trump. In response, Trump, who has long desired the Nobel Peace Prize, said, “Wow.”
At another White House gathering two days later, at the invitation of a friendly journalist, the leaders of several African countries agreed. The leaders stated that Trump is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The president has expressed gratitude to Starmer and Netanyahu for accepting both honors. The flattery does have a strategy, though, and it differs greatly from Trump’s first time in office. World leaders were dubious and wary of Trump’s power during his first term. They are becoming more obedient throughout his second.
Kurt Volker, a career diplomat who served during the first Trump term and currently holds a number of post-government positions, including fellow at the nonpartisan public policy organization Center for European Policy Analysis, said, “He’s back, and he’s powerful.” “He can do things that we like or don’t like, so we’d better make sure that he does what we like,” he said, describing the mindset of European leaders in particular.
Volker added that Trump is not only receiving greater accolades but also seeing progress. He cites the commitments made by NATO nations to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense by 2035, which Trump facilitated during the June NATO summit in The Hague.
“And some of that is Europeans stepping up to do what they should have been doing already,” stated Volker.
The number of leaders who have visited Washington to meet with Trump, including those who have returned, is cited by the White House. There are currently 23 in all, and several of them are visiting the White House in the hopes of negotiating a good trade agreement with reduced tariffs. Compared to Presidents Biden and Obama’s first six months, that is a significant increase.
“The results speak for themselves: the President’s trade deals are leveling the playing field for our farmers and workers, trillions of dollars in investment are flooding into our country, and decades-long wars are ending making the entire world safer and more prosperous,” said Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the White House, in a statement provided to NPR. “Foreign leaders are eager for a positive relationship with President Trump and to participate in the booming Trump economy.”
There’s another reason. It has “taken the measure of the man,” according to Ivo Daalder. During the Obama administration, he was the U.S. ambassador to NATO and is now a senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center.
He claims that it is obvious that Trump wants to be viewed as a victor, as a unique and significant person who accomplishes things that others cannot.
“So, flattery and saying he is the best, that he is the only person who could have achieved this outcome at this summit, is meant to first and foremost keep him on side,” explains Daalder.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, took the time to praise Trump last weekend before finalizing the terms of a trade pact, referring to him as a “tough negotiator and deal maker.” Then she copied Trump’s strategy exactly.
“If we are successful I think it would be the biggest deal each of us has ever struck,” von der Leyen stated. When they later declared that a deal had actually been reached, Trump enthusiastically repeated von der Leyen’s words that it was the “biggest deal ever made.”
Many of the specifics of the EU-US pact are still unclear, as is the case with many of the trade agreements Trump has announced. However, Trump sees them all as victories, and he is the main character as the key negotiator.
Daalder claims that numerous leaders attempted to collaborate with Trump’s national security advisers or secretary of state, which is another change from the first term. They were viewed as aides or “guard rails” who may pressure Trump to achieve a certain goal. However, Daalder claims that was mostly unsuccessful. Foreign leaders and diplomats have suddenly realized that Trump was and still is the decisive factor.
“Only he makes the decision. And if you want to get any deal, you have to deal with Trump,” Daalder said. “And the only way to get a good deal is to flatter him.”
The flattery paid off in the case of NATO. The mutual defense alliance has long been viewed with suspicion by Trump. Trump revealed the adoring email he received from NATO Chief Mark Ruttest prior to their most recent summit on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” Rutte said. “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
During the face-to-face meeting, Rutte reaffirmed that a significant victory for Trump and the alliance was achieved when the members of the NATO alliance agreed to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense.
“It’s absolutely true,” Rutte declared. “I want to state here, without President Trump this would not have happened.”
During this same occasion, Rutte seemed to call Trump “daddy,” a nickname that the president and his merchandise-making machine adopted.
“I believe he enjoys me.” When a reporter questioned Trump about the daddy remark, he responded, “If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know.” “He did it with a lot of love. “You’re my father, Daddy.”
According to Justin Logan, head of military and foreign policy studies at the CATO Institute, this experience also demonstrated that “shamelessness truly is a superpower.” He considers Trump’s management style to be highly individualized, sometimes even “primal.”
“Nothing lasts forever. “You can quickly move from [Trump’s] nice list to the naughty list and back again,” Logan remarked. The truly unsettling aspect is that. The lesson here, in my opinion, will be to continue heaping on the praise even when it doesn’t feel particularly good.
For some of these leaders, there have been political consequences at home. In many countries, Trump remains an unpopular figure andleaders have taken heatfor their over-the-top praise, working to win him over.
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