NATO chief dodges reporter's question on 'lack of self-respect' after Trump meeting

NATO Secretary General Deflects Question on Deference to Trump

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was asked about his lack of "self-respect" after he sat idly by while U.S. President Donald Trump made angry, incendiary statements about taking over Greenland, restarting his war on Iran, and cutting off trade with Spain.

"Mark, you sit next to Donald Trump in moments where he talks about conquering Greenland, talked about lashing out at allies like Spain, starting trade wars—things that [don't] seem like the old Mark Rutte would approve of," a Danish reporter asked Rutte shortly after his meeting with Trump Wednesday. "Does this have any effect on your self-respect when you sit next to him like that and say nothing?"

"You know, what I always do is acknowledge when praise is due, and I think we should praise Donald Trump for the fact that NATO is so much stronger," Rutte replied, dodging the question. "Of course, it has to do with the Russian threat, it has to do with the war in Ukraine, but it very much also has to do with President Trump … trying to equalize spending between the U.S. and Europe. And it makes Europe stronger. It makes Europe more relevant for the United States as a partner."

The short answer appears to be no—showing such deference to Trump while he makes threats against Greenland, lobbies against Spain, and again declares war on Iran has no impact on Rutte's self-respect. However, it has an impact on the world's perception of him, as he uses flattery and submission to appease Trump rather than boldly defending what was once the Western world's most important post–Cold War institution.

Reminder: Trump Fails Basic Question About NATO Responsibilities

Trump Ordered to Release Funds to E. Jean Carroll

Donald Trump's latest attempt to avoid paying E. Jean Carroll involved a bold-faced lie to a federal judge.

In a legal filing submitted Tuesday, Trump's attorneys asked Judge Lewis Kaplan not to release some of the funds he owes to the beleaguered columnist on the basis that the president's petition for a new hearing was still pending before the Supreme Court. The only problem: The Supreme Court had rejected Trump's petition filing.

By Wednesday morning, the SCOTUS docket had been updated to reflect that the nation's highest court was anticipating a corrected petition from the president's team. Hours later, it appeared that Kaplan had ordered the release of the funds to Carroll despite Trump's pending filing.

Background on the Case

Carroll has a long and grim history with the president:

• May 2023: Trump was found liable by a jury for having sexually abused Carroll in the mid-1990s, for which she was awarded $5 million in damages.
• January 2024: Trump lost his defamation case against her when Kaplan ruled that Trump had continued to defame the advice columnist by denying the rape on the basis that she wasn't his "type," and by accusing her of making up the sexual assault allegations for the benefit of her book. A jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in that case.

Payment Delays and Legal Maneuvering

Carroll has not yet seen a dime from either of her legal victories:

• In May, a federal appeals court allowed Trump to continue staving off his payments until the Supreme Court decided whether to pick up the case.
• The high court rejected Trump's challenge last week, allowing the verdict to stand.

Late last month, Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan asked a judge to implement an expedited payment schedule for the sum Trump owes Carroll (Kaplan is not related to the New York–based judge of the same name). She referred to a June 2023 filing in which both parties agreed that Carroll could collect if the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

Kaplan added that, by this point, the $5 million sum had accrued an additional $779,783 in interest, raising Trump's debt in the initial case to nearly $5.8 million.

"This is the end of the line," Kaplan wrote in a June 30 filing. "It is time for him to pay Carroll."

This story has been updated.

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