Senate Republicans rammed President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ through a procedural hurdle after hours of tense negotiations that put the megabill’s fate into question. 

Speculation swirled whether Republicans would be satisfied by the latest edition of the mammoth bill, which was released just before the stroke of midnight Saturday morning.

Nearly every Republican, except Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., all voted to unlock a marathon 20-hour debate on the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could only afford to lose three votes.

Though successful, the 51-49 party line vote was not without drama.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., flipped his vote from a ‘no’ to ‘yes’ in dramatic fashion, as he and Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, made their way to the Senate floor accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.

Vance was called in case he was needed for a tie-breaking vote, but only his negotiating services ended up being used.

No lawmaker wanted to be the fourth and final decisive vote to kill the bill. Republican leadership kept the floor open for nearly four hours while negotiations continued – first on the Senate floor and then eventually in Thune’s office.

The bill won’t immediately be debated thanks to Senate Democrats’ plan to force the reading of the entire, 940-page legislative behemoth on the Senate floor, which could drain several hours and go deep into the night.

The megabill’s fate, and whether it could pass its first test, was murky at best after senators met behind closed doors Friday, and even during another luncheon on Saturday.

Lingering concerns in both chambers about Medicaid — specifically the Medicaid provider tax rate and the effect of direct payments to states — energy tax credits, the state and local tax (SALT) deduction and others proved to be pain points that threatened the bill’s survival.

However, changes were made at the last-minute to either sate holdouts or comply with the Senate rules. Indeed, the Senate parliamentarian stripped numerous items from the bill that had to be reworked.

The Medicaid provider tax rate was kept largely the same, except its implementation date was moved back a year. Also included as a sweetener for lawmakers like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and others was a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years.

Collins said that she would support the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that the rural hospital stabilization fund was a start, but whether she supports the bill on final passage remains to be seen.

‘If the bill is not further changed, I will be leaning against the bill, but I do believe this procedural vote to get on the bill so that people can offer amendments and debate it is appropriate,’ Collins said.

Tillis, who is also concerned about the changes to Medicaid and would like to see a return to the House GOP’s version, said that he would not vote in favor of the bill during final passage.

The SALT deduction included in the House GOP’s version of the bill also survived, albeit the $40,000 cap will remain intact for five years. After that, the cap will revert to its current $10,000.

Other sweeteners, like expanding nutrition benefit waivers to Alaska and a tax cut for whaling boat captains, were thrown in, too, to get moderates like Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on board with the bill.

Lee announced that he withdrew his open lands sale provision, which proved a sticking point for lawmakers in Montana and Idaho. 

Still, Republicans who are not satisfied with the current state of the bill will use the forthcoming ‘vote-a-rama,’ when lawmakers can offer an unlimited number of amendments, to try and change as much as they can before final passage. 

Democrats, however, will use the process to inflict as much pain as possible on Republicans.

Once the amendment marathon concludes, which could be in the wee hours of Monday morning, lawmakers will move to a final vote to send the bill, which is an amendment to the House GOP’s version of the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ back to the lower chamber.

From there, it’s a dead sprint to get the package on the president’s desk by July 4.

In a statement of administration policy obtained by Fox News Digital, Trump signaled that he would sign the bill.

‘President Trump is committed to keeping his promises,’ the memo read. ‘And failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal.’ 

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned Saturday of the dangers of politicians using heated rhetoric against judges. 

‘It becomes wrapped up in the political dispute that a judge who’s doing his or her job is part of the problem,’ Roberts said in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit, a gathering of judges and lawyers. 

‘And the danger, of course, is somebody might pick up on that. And we have had, of course, serious threats of violence and murder of judges just simply for doing their work. So, I think the political people on both sides of the aisle need to keep that in mind.’

Roberts didn’t name anyone but appeared to be referencing President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer when he said he’d felt compelled to speak out against rhetoric by Democrats and Republicans in the past. 

Trump has criticized judges many times over the years, including calling for the impeachment of a judge who ruled against a deportation policy earlier this year, referring to him as ‘radical left’ and a ‘lunatic.’ 

Roberts responded at the time, saying, ‘For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.’

In 2020, Roberts condemned Schumer for saying that Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch would ‘pay the price’ regarding an abortion rights case during Trump’s first term. 

‘You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price,’ Schumer said at a rally outside the Supreme Court at the time. ‘You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.’

Schumer later said he was referring to the political price he believed Senate Republicans would pay, but he said, ‘I shouldn’t have used the words I did, but in no way was I making a threat. I never, never would do such a thing, and Leader McConnell knows that.’ 

Roberts, at the time, said of Schumer, ‘Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All members of the court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter.’

In April, an armed man who was arrested outside of Kavanaugh’s home pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate the justice. 

Roberts’ remarks came after the Supreme Court issued the final decisions of its term, handing the Trump administration a win Friday by limiting judges’ ability to block his agenda through court orders. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The top Democrat in the Senate plans to inflict maximum pain on Senate Republicans in their march to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ before lawmakers even get a chance to debate the legislative behemoth.

Indeed, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to force clerks on the Senate floor to read the entirety of the GOP’s 940-page megabill. His move to drain as much time as possible will come after Republicans vote on a key procedural test to open debate on the legislation.

‘I will object to Republicans moving forward on their Big, Ugly Bill without reading it on the Senate floor,’ Schumer said on X. ‘Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill

‘So Democrats are forcing it to be read start to finish on the floor,’ he said. ‘We will be here all night if that’s what it takes to read it.’

Indeed, staffers were seen carting the bill onto the Senate floor in preparation for the all-night read-a-thon.

Schumer’s move is expected to take up to 15 hours and is designed to allow Senate Democrats more time to parse through the myriad provisions within the massive legislative text. Ultimately, it will prove a smokescreen as Senate Republicans will continue to march toward a final vote.

Once the bill reading is done, 20 hours of debate evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans will begin, likely early Sunday morning. Democrats are expected to use their entire 10-hour chunk, while Republicans will go far under their allotted time.

Then comes the ‘vote-a-rama’ process, where lawmakers can offer an unlimited number of amendments to the bill.

Democrats will again look to extract as much pain as possible during that process, while Republicans, particularly senators that have lingering issues with key Medicaid and land sale provisions, will continue to try and shape and mold the bill.

The last time clerks were forced to read the entirety of a bill during the budget reconciliation process was in 2021, when Senate Democrats held the majority in the upper chamber.

At the time, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., demanded that the entire, over-600-page American Rescue Act be read aloud. Schumer, who was the Senate Majority Leader attempting to ram then-President Joe Biden’s agenda through the upper chamber, objected to the reading. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said alleged calls in Iran for the arrest and execution of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi are ‘unacceptable and should be condemned.’

Rubio’s warning came after Iranian parliament vice speaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei banned Grossi and removed surveillance from its nuclear facilities, accusing Israel of acquiring ‘sensitive facility data,’ according to a report from Mehr news.

‘We support the lAEA’s critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran and commend the Director General and the lAEA for their dedication and professionalism,’ Rubio wrote in an X post. ‘We call on Iran to provide for the safety and security of IAEA personnel.’

The lAEA this week commented on damage at Iranian nuclear facilities, following U.S. airstrikes on key nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

While speaking on Fox News’ ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum,’ Grossi said Isfahan and Natanz were damaged, with Natanz showing ‘very serious damage’ in one of the centrifuge halls where enrichment was being performed.

Though a ceasefire agreement was made between Israel and Iran, Grossi alleged 900 pounds of potentially enriched uranium had been taken to an ancient site near Isfahan.

‘I have to be very precise, Martha,’ Grossi said. ‘We are the IAEA, so we are not speculating here. We do not have information of the whereabouts of this material.’

He claimed Iranian officials had told him they were taking protective measures, which could include moving the material.

‘My job is to try to see where is this material, because Iran has an obligation to report and account for all the material that they have, and this is going to continue to be my work,’ Grossi said.

President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal Tehran signed with the U.S., U.K., European Union, France, Germany and Russia in 2018, prompting Iranian threats to remove cameras and limit access to its facilities.

Rubio did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

A key New York Republican said he’s pleased with a tax provision in the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ after weeks of tense back-and-forth over the matter.

‘I think it’s a very good deal. We were able to keep the House language intact,’ Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital, adding that he was pleased ‘we were able to solve’ differences on tax deductions for certain pass-through businesses, which are companies smaller than corporations whose taxes are ‘passed through’ the business owner’s personal returns.

‘I think at the end of the day, it’s a [four-times] increase on [state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps]. And despite the Senate’s best efforts to whittle down the language, we were able to keep it.’

Lawler is one of several blue state Republicans who threatened to sink the bill if it did not sufficiently raise SALT deduction caps.

SALT deductions are aimed at providing relief for people living in high-cost-of-living areas, primarily in big cities and their suburbs. 

There was no limit on SALT deductions until Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which capped that federal tax benefit at $10,000 for both single filers and married couples.

The House’s bill raised that cap to $40,000 for 10 years, with households making up to $500,000 eligible for the full deduction.

Senate Republicans, who released their text of the bill just before midnight on Friday night, reduced the benefit window to five years instead of 10. 

After that, the maximum deduction would revert to $10,000 for the next five years.

‘Yes, the time was shortened, but at the end of the day, people are going to immediately be able to deduct them to $40,000, which is a massive win,’ Lawler told Fox News Digital.

‘Democrats promised to fix this when they had complete control in ’21 and ’22 and failed to deliver. We’re delivering on it. So you know to me this is a big win for New York. It’s a big win for taxpayers all across the country.’

Blue state Republicans, primarily those in New York and California, have pushed hard in favor of lifting that cap. They’ve painted it as an existential political issue in their districts, where Republican victories were critical to the GOP winning and keeping its House majority.

They’ve also argued that their states sending more money back to the federal government effectively subsidizes lower-tax states that do not bring in as much revenue.

But Republicans in more GOP-leaning states have dismissed SALT deductions as a reward for high-tax Democratic states to continue their own policies.

‘SALT deductions allow blue states to export their political mistakes (electing high-tax, crazy socialists), Americans shouldn’t subsidize,’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X.

Lawler would not say if his support for the deal meant he would vote for the final bill – noting there were other provisions he had to read through in the 940-page legislation.

But he said he believed most of his Republican colleagues in the SALT Caucus would be supportive of the compromise.

‘I think there’s broad consensus among most of us about how important this is, and what a significant win it is,’ Lawler said.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., the only member of the SALT Caucus who sits on the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee, told Fox News Digital of the deal on Friday, ‘I can live with this but, quite frankly, the $30,000 over 10 years that I negotiated out of Ways & Means would’ve protected my constituents for a longer period of time.’

‘But alas, this is a group exercise and there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen,’ she said.

Not everyone is on board, however. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., signaled to Fox News Digital that he is rejecting the deal.

‘While I support the president’s broader agenda, it would be hypocritical for me to back the same unfair $10k SALT cap I’ve spent years criticizing. A permanent $40k deduction cap with income thresholds of $225k for single filers and $450k for joint filers would earn my vote,’ he said in a written statement.

Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., did not comment on the SALT deal itself but more broadly said her support for the bill is contingent on how decisions on SALT deduction caps, Medicaid measures, and small business taxes play out.

A source familiar with her thinking told Fox News Digital she would vote against the bill back in the House if the Senate’s more severe Medicaid cuts remained in place.

The Senate is aiming to begin considering the legislation on the floor late afternoon on Saturday, though the final vote could come in the early hours of Sunday, if not later.

The bill could also change between now and then, with various Republican lawmakers still expressing their concern.

Fox News Digital reached out to SALT Caucus co-chair Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., and Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J. for comment.

A vulnerable Senate Republican put his foot down against President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ over concerns of deep Medicaid cuts inside the megabill.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital that he would not support the measure through a procedural hurdle necessary to kick off a marathon of debate and amendment voting that would eventually culminate in the measure’s final passage.

Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026, said after exiting the Senate GOP’s closed-door lunch that he has a ‘great relationship’ with his colleagues, but that he couldn’t support the colossal bill.

‘We just have a disagreement,’ he said. ‘And, you know, my colleagues have done the analysis, and they’re comfortable with the impact on their states. I respect their choice. It’s not a good impact in my state, so I’m not going to vote on the motion to proceed.’

He also won’t support the bill during the final stretch. Tillis is part of a cohort of Senate Republicans who have expressed reservations over the Senate GOP’s changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate.

Tillis’ resistance to the bill is a bad sign for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who can only afford to lose three votes. So far, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has vowed to vote against the procedural test, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is expected to follow suit. 

Trump was meeting with Johnson and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., another possible holdout, during the lunch. 

Lawmakers are expected to vote to advance the bill at 4 p.m. on Saturday. 

The mounting resistance could force Thune to go back to the drawing board. Further complicating matters is Collins, who is also up for reelection in 2026, who said that while she would support the bill through the first step, she was leaning against voting to pass the bill in the final stretch unless the legislation was ‘further changed.’

The latest version of the bill, which dropped near the stroke of midnight, included tweaks to the Senate’s offering that would push back the provider rate crackdown by one year, and also added another $25 billion for a rural hospital stabilization fund.

While others in the group, like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., are on board to at least see the legislation move through the first key procedural hurdle, Tillis has argued that his state would be harshly affected by the crackdown.

Indeed, during a closed-door lunch earlier this week, the lawmaker reportedly warned that North Carolina could lose as much as $40 billion in Medicaid funding if the changes were codified.

For now, Tillis is unlikely to budge, even after conversations with Trump. He is also planning to unveil further analysis on the impact of Medicaid cuts on his state that he said no one in the ‘administration or in this building’ has been able to refute.

‘The president I have talked, and I just told him that, ‘Look, if this works for the country, that’s great. And if my other colleagues have done extensive research and concluded it’s different in their states, I respect that,’’ he said. ‘We just have a disagreement based on the implementation in our respective states.’

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is facing a new threat as Hamas terrorists place bounties on the heads of its workers, including U.S. security personnel and local aid staff. According to GHF, Hamas is offering monetary rewards to anyone who kills or injures the organization’s workers.

‘We are aware of credible reports that Hamas is openly targeting the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and those who work with us. According to these reports, Hamas has placed bounties on both our American security personnel and Palestinian aid workers—offering cash rewards to anyone who injures or kills them,’ GHF said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital.

‘The targets of Hamas’s brutality are heroes who are simply trying to feed the people of Gaza in the middle of a war.’

GHF also said that Hamas has positioned ‘armed operatives’ near humanitarian zones in an apparent attempt to ‘disrupt the only functioning aid delivery system in Gaza.’

Earlier this month, Hamas launched a deadly attack on GHF workers, leaving 12 dead. The organization said Hamas also tortured others. The victims were local workers, according to GHF.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued a statement on the bounties and criticized the United Nations’ silence on Hamas brutality.

‘Last month [President Trump] told us to get food to civilians in Gaza, but DON’T let Hamas steal it,’ Huckabee wrote on X. ‘NOT always pretty, but 800k+ unique recipients of food & 1ST TIME they [have] received food FREE since start of war. Hamas has stolen or taxed it & now w/ GHF they CAN’T! Hamas’ main tool to control Gaza is GONE. Hamas has put a bounty on the heads of everyone at GHF — Gazans [and] Americans. The UN remains SILENT.’

In response to Huckabee’s statement, GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore wrote in his own post on X that reports of the Hamas bounties are based on ‘new and credible information received today.’

‘Hamas would be very unwise to test the resolve of [President Donald Trump],’ Moore wrote.

GHF is demanding the international community break its silence on Hamas’ treatment of the organization’s local workers and the American security personnel, many of whom are U.S. veterans.

‘Hamas, through these violent and escalating threats, is showing the world it prefers chaos and starvation to peace and aid,’ GHF wrote. ‘We call on international leaders and aid groups to stand with us and with the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza, who show up to our sites every day in defiance of Hamas’s threats and brutality, deserve it.’

GHF said it has been able to distribute approximately 49,915,822 meals so far. The organization recently received a funding boost after the U.S. State Department announced it had approved $30 million in funding for the group.

‘We call on other countries to also support the GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and its critical work,’ State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot said in a briefing on June 26. 

‘From day one, we said we are open to creative solutions that securely provide aid to those in Gaza and protects Israel. The support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump’s and Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of peace in the region.’

A House Republican representing part of Southern California will oppose President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ if it returns to her chamber without the House’s original language on Medicaid, a source familiar with her thinking told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., is one of several moderates who are uneasy on Saturday after the Senate released updated text of the massive bill advancing Trump’s agenda on tax, immigration, defense, energy, and the national debt.

Two other sources told Fox News Digital that as many as 20 to 30 moderate Republicans are reaching out to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with serious concerns about the Senate’s bill.

The source familiar with Kim’s thinking said, ‘As she’s said throughout this process, ‘I will continue to make clear that a budget resolution that does not protect vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable, provide tax relief for small businesses, and address the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions will not receive my vote.”

The Senate released the nearly 1,000-page bill minutes before midnight on Friday night.

It makes some notable modifications to the House’s version of the bill – which passed that chamber by just one vote in May – particularly on Medicaid and green energy credits.

Among their issues is the difference in provider tax rates and state-directed payments, both of which states use to help fund their share of Medicaid costs.

Whereas the House bill called for freezing provider taxes at their current rates and blocking new ones from being implemented, the Senate’s bill went a step further – forcing states to gradually phase down their provider tax rates to 3.5%, if they adopted the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion.

That would include 40 states and Washington, D.C. The Senate’s most recent bill text shows that phase-down happening between 2028 and 2032.

Sixteen House GOP moderates wrote a letter to congressional leaders sounding the alarm on those Medicaid provisions earlier this week.

They said it ‘undermines the balanced approach taken to craft the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1—particularly regarding provider taxes and state-directed payments.’

‘The Senate version treats expansion and non-expansion states unfairly, fails to preserve existing state programs, and imposes stricter limits that do not give hospitals sufficient time to adjust to new budgetary constraints or to identify alternative funding sources,’ the letter read.

To offset Senate Republicans’ concerns about their chamber’s proposed limits on state-directed payments and provider tax rates, the Senate Finance Committee included a $25 billion rural hospital fund in their legislation.

It was enough to sway Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who told reporters on Saturday that he would support the bill after expressing earlier concern about the Medicaid provisions’ impact on rural hospitals.

But in the House, sources are signaling to Fox News Digital that moderate Republicans could still need convincing if the bill passes the Senate this weekend.

It could pose problems for House GOP leaders given their thin three-vote majority, though it’s worth noting that the legislation could still change before it reaches the lower chamber.

But one senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital they believe the moderates will ultimately fall in line, even if the text doesn’t change.

‘Moderate Republicans can plead and beg with House leadership all they want – the reforms to Medicaid made in the Senate are here to stay,’ the senior aide said. ‘And ultimately, these lawmakers will roll over and vote for the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ because the wrath of President Trump is far worse than a lower provider tax.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment.

For his part, Johnson, R-La., has publicly urged the Senate on multiple occasions to change the bill as little as possible – given the fragile unity that must be struck in the House to pass it.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first official meeting in Washington, D.C., with the families of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza amid the terror group’s ongoing war with Israel.

Rubio reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to securing the release of all 50 remaining hostages, according to a press release from The Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The meeting featured Moshe Lavi, brother-in-law of hostage Omri Miran; Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David; Tzur Goldin, brother of Lt. Hadar Goldin; and recently released hostage Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan Horn remains in captivity.

Rubio’s wife, Jeanette, and son, Anthony, were also at the meeting.

During the meeting, the secretary told the families that true victory in Gaza would only be realized when all the hostages returned home, according to the press release.

He also noted that the U.S. government has already demonstrated its ability to lead significant initiatives in the Middle East. He further argued that Israel has achieved victories in Iran and Lebanon and is capable of defeating Hamas.

The families stressed that this is a critical window of opportunity to bring the remaining hostages home in one comprehensive deal rather than phases or partial agreements as has been the case in Israel’s previous hostage deals with Hamas, the press release said.

They expressed trust in the Trump administration to act with urgency and determination to free the remaining people in Hamas’ captivity.

‘We’ve waited long enough,’ the families said. ‘It’s time to make brave decisions and bring all our loved ones back—all at once.’

President Donald Trump delivered a resounding endorsement of NATO this week, marking a sharp turnaround in his years-long, often contentious relationship with the alliance.

Once known for blasting allies over defense spending and even threatening to pull out of NATO altogether, Trump now appears to have had a change of heart. 

‘I left here differently. I left here saying that these people really love their countries,’ Trump said after the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague.

The pivot comes as NATO nations more than doubled their collective defense spending target – raising the bar from 2% to 5% of GDP.

From Hostile Rhetoric to Royal Receptions

The president’s renewed embrace of the alliance follows years of friction, high-profile clashes with world leaders and controversial comments. Yet at this year’s summit, the tone was strikingly different.

Trump was welcomed by Dutch royals, praised by the NATO secretary-general – who even referred to him as ‘daddy’ – and returned home lauding European allies for their patriotism. ‘It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help them,’ Trump told reporters.

The transformation is as dramatic as it is unexpected.

The Iran Factor: Military Action with Global Impact

Trump arrived at the NATO summit on a high note, following U.S. strikes that crippled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. According to American and allied intelligence sources, the operation set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by several years.

The strike was widely seen as both a show of strength and a strategic warning – not just to Iran but to NATO adversaries like Russia and China.

‘He really came in from this power move,’ said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a former NATO official and current chairman of Lithuania’s national security committee.

‘Among some, definitely Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Nordic Europe, this attack, the use of those really sophisticated weapons and bombers, was the rebuilding of the deterrence narrative of the West, not just of America.’

Timeline: Trump’s Rocky Road with NATO

2016 Campaign Trail

Trump repeatedly called NATO ‘obsolete,’ questioning its relevance and slamming allies for failing to pay their ‘fair share.’

‘It’s costing us too much money… We’re paying disproportionately. It’s too much,’ he said in March 2016.

He criticized NATO for lacking focus on terrorism, later taking credit when it created a chief intelligence post.

February 2017 – Early Presidency

Trump softened his tone after becoming president. 

‘We strongly support NATO,’ he said after visiting Central Command. ‘We only ask that all members make their full and proper financial contribution.’

He continued to push for members to meet the 2% target by 2024.

2018 Brussels Summit

Trump privately threatened to pull the U.S. from NATO unless allies increased spending.

‘Now we are in World War III protecting a country that wasn’t paying its bills,’ he warned.

Despite the posturing, he called NATO a ‘fine-tuned machine’ after extracting new spending commitments. He also accused Germany of being a ‘captive of Russia’ over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

2019 London Summit

The drama continued, this time with French President Emmanuel Macron calling NATO ‘brain-dead.’ 

‘NATO serves a great purpose. I think that’s very insulting,’ Trump responded.

He also clashed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – calling him ‘two-faced’ after Trudeau was caught mocking Trump on camera.

2020 – Troop Withdrawal from Germany

Trump ordered 12,000 U.S. troops out of Germany, citing Berlin’s defense shortfalls.

February 2024 – Russia Controversy

Trump ignited backlash after suggesting he’d let Russia ‘do whatever the hell they want’ to NATO countries that failed to meet spending obligations.

The remark sparked urgent contingency talks among European leaders about the future of the alliance if the U.S. did not step up to its defense. 

June 2025: A Different Trump, a Different NATO

The 2025 summit in The Hague unfolded with surprising calm. Trump’s hosts rolled out the red carpet. ‘He’s the man of the hour and the most important man in the world,’ Jeglinskas said.

Jeglinskas credited Trump’s blunt diplomacy – however unorthodox – for helping drive real reform ‘He’s brought in tectonic change to the alliance’s capabilities by… being himself,’ he added. ‘It’s a gift for the alliance.’

Two Forces Behind NATO’s Revival: Russia and Trump

Experts agree NATO’s recent revitalization stems from two major catalysts: Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s relentless pressure on allies to boost defense.

President Trump is riding high this week with two major foreign policy victories,’ said Matthew Kroenig, vice president at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, referencing NATO and the recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. ‘It’s terrific. I hope he can keep it up.’

He added, ‘Every president since Eisenhower has complained that NATO allies aren’t doing their fair share.’

Now, Trump was the one who finally got them to listen, he said.