Following years of criticizing NATO as a "rip-off," President Trump now endorses the alliance as member countries agree to double their defense spending targets.

Instead, Rutte helped lobby for Trump's demand for NATO nations to jump military spending to 5% of GDP. Rutte explained why the hike is necessary: "We have to keep ourselves safe from our adversaries, but also because it's fair to equalize with the United States," which spends 3.6% on defense.