Trump’s NATO Glow-Up: From Critic to ‘Daddy’ of the Alliance

President Donald Trump has flipped the script on his rocky relationship with NATO, emerging as the alliance’s unlikely champion at the 2025 summit in The Hague. Once the loudest critic of NATO’s relevance, slamming allies for skimping on defense budgets and even threatening a U.S. exit, Trump now basks in their praise, with the NATO secretary-general playfully dubbing him "daddy."

The shift is seismic. Allies have agreed to a bold new defense spending target, jumping from 2% to 5% of GDP—a move Trump’s relentless pressure helped spark. "These people really love their countries," he said, beaming with approval after the summit. His warm reception, complete with Dutch royal fanfare, marked a stark contrast to past clashes with leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.

Trump’s newfound NATO love comes fresh off a U.S. military strike that kneecapped Iran’s nuclear program, a flex of power that had Eastern European allies cheering. "This rebuilds the West’s deterrence," said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a Lithuanian security expert, crediting Trump’s unorthodox style for shaking up the alliance.

From calling NATO "obsolete" in 2016 to now hailing it as a "fine-tuned machine," Trump’s journey reflects a pragmatic pivot. His demands for fair contributions—once dismissed as bluster—have driven real change, with allies stepping up amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Yet, the question lingers: is this a lasting transformation or a fleeting summit glow?