Trump casts doubt on commitment to defending Nato partners
Before landing in Amsterdam, Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president apparently casting doubt on the US commitment to defend Nato partners.
The Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Tuesday that he had no doubt that Trump was committed to the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.
But according to Reuters, Trump told the press gaggle that there were “numerous” definitions to the cornerstone of the defense pact.
Asked if he was committed to Article 5, Trump responded: “I’m committed to saving lives. I’m committed to life and safety. And I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there.”
Key events
The Trump administration has approved $30m in funding for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed group delivering aid to Gaza, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Since the foundation began operating last month, Palestinian witnesses and health officials have reported Israeli forces repeatedly shooting at Palestinians seeking aid at the food distribution centers. The organization says it has delivered 44m meals to Palestinians.
According to a document Reuters reviewed, the $30m grant was authorized on Friday under a “priority directive” from the White House and state department, and a $7m had already been disbursed.
Good afternoon, I’m Cecilia Nowell taking over for my colleague Richard Luscombe.
Donald Trump has arrived in the Netherlands for the annual Nato summit. After taking the annual Nato family photo outside Dutch King Willem-Alexander’s Huis Ten Bosch palance, Trump and his fellow heads of state headed inside for dinner.
The Dutch King singled Trump out for a greeting after the photograph (the two were stationed beside one another), telling him: “It means so much to us to welcome you in our home tonight. We cherish the bonds of friendship that will always unite our nations.”
We’re not expecting much more news out of the Nato summit this evening, but I’ll be bringing you the other headlines from the United States, including any early takeaways from the ongoing New York City mayoral race.
Summary of the day so far
I’m handing over to my west coast colleague Cecilia Nowell to lead you through the rest of the day’s political developments. Thanks for joining me.
Here’s what we’ve been following:
-
Donald Trump arrived in the Netherlands for the annual Nato summit. The US president is expected to take a victory lap after a ceasefire and apparent end to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
-
But according to CNN, a preliminary US intelligence report indicates that, contrary to Trump’s insistence that Iran’s capability to build a nuclear bomb was “totally obliterated” by weekend US airstrikes, they did not destroy their targets and in fact set back Iran’s ambitions only “by months”.
-
Trump will meet Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague. Zelenskyy is expected to press Trump on more support from the US, and Nato, as his country’s three-year war with Russia continues.
-
Democrats reacted angrily to the Trump administration’s decision to postpone an all-senators briefing on Iran. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement: “Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening. What is the administration so afraid of?”
-
New York City residents were headed to the polls in a primary election that is both likely to decide the city’s next mayor and have major political implications for the future of the Democratic party.
-
House speaker Mike Johnson said that the War Powers Act designed to check a US president’s ability to commit US forces to military action without congressional consent is unconstitutional.
-
Trump was continuing to feud with Republican Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who opposed the president’s decision to launch airstrikes in Iran at the weekend without congressional approval.
-
Authorities said that federal immigration agents arrested 11 Iranian nationals who were in the US illegally.
-
The Fed Chair Jerome Powell defied Trump and says that rate hikes can wait.
-
US senators were wrangling over the future of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”, for which an unofficial 4 July deadline has been set.
-
A panel of judges in New York were hearing arguments in Trump’s appeal of an $83.3m defamation ruling against him after he was adjudicated to have sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.
White House denies intelligence report that Iran strikes were a flop
The White House has dismissed as “flat out wrong” a leaked intelligence report that claims US airstrikes at the weekend set back Iran’s nuclear program only “by months”.
The preliminary assessment by one US intelligence agency of the attacks on three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, reported by CNN, indicates that the targets were not destroyed, as Donald Trump and other administration officials have insisted.
The assessment was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm, the news outlet said, citing three unnamed sources. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, CNN reported one of the sources as saying.
The assessment is ongoing and could change, CNN said.
In an address to the nation on Sunday night, Trump stated: “I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
Two of the sources, however, said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, and the third said the country’s centrifuges were largely “intact”.
“So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” the source said.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report as “a clear attempt to demean President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission”.
She said in a statement to CNN:
This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.
Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.
Trump expected to meet Zelenskyy while in Europe
Donald Trump is expected to meet Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his short stay in the Netherlands.
The two clashed in a fiery meeting at the White House in February, when US vice-president JD Vance belittled Zelenskyy for not thanking Trump for his support for Ukraine as it tried to repel Russia’s invasion; and Trump warned Ukraine’s leader he was “gambling with world war three”.
Ukraine is not part of Nato, so Zelenskyy will not take part in the Nato summit. But he could meet Trump as early as Tuesday night, sources said.
According to Reuters, Zelenskyy has said he wants to discuss with Trump substantial purchases of weaponry including Patriot missile defense systems as well as sanctions and other ways to put pressure on Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy warned European Nato members on Tuesday that they risked being attacked by Russia if it was not defeated in its three-year war with Ukraine.
“Russia is even planning new military operations on Nato territory,” he told a defense industry event on the sidelines of the summit.
Trump casts doubt on commitment to defending Nato partners
Before landing in Amsterdam, Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president apparently casting doubt on the US commitment to defend Nato partners.
The Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Tuesday that he had no doubt that Trump was committed to the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.
But according to Reuters, Trump told the press gaggle that there were “numerous” definitions to the cornerstone of the defense pact.
Asked if he was committed to Article 5, Trump responded: “I’m committed to saving lives. I’m committed to life and safety. And I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there.”
Here’s Donald Trump descending the steps of Air Force One in Amsterdam on Wednesday after his arrival for Nato’s annual summit in the Netherlands.
He’s on his way to The Hague, where he will be greeted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and attend a private dinner they are hosting for Nato leaders.
While we wait for more news of Donald Trump’s arrival in Europe for the Nato summit in the Netherlands, the Guardian’s exclusive interview with Mark Rutte, secretary general of the alliance, is worth a read.
Rutte tells my colleagues Pjotr Sauer and Dan Sabbagh in The Hague that it was “not a difficult thing” to get members to agree to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP because of the rising threat from Russia – and stressed that Trump remained “absolutely” committed to supporting the alliance”.
Rutte said that all 32 Nato members had agreed to increase defense spending because “there is so much at stake” after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine:
The security situation has changed so much, and people know that when the call comes [in the event an attack on a Nato member] … you now need to deliver to the collective endeavor, what you promised, that you better have your stuff there.
Read the full report here:
Trump arrives in Europe for annual Nato summit
Air Force One has landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, bringing Donald Trump to a Nato summit at The Hague at which he is expected to take a victory lap over the ceasefire and apparent conclusion of the short Iran-Israel war.
His arrival comes as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced the “end of the 12-day war imposed by Israel”, in a message to the nation carried by the official IRNA news agency, reported by AFP.
“Today, after the heroic resistance of our great nation, whose determination makes history, we are witnessing the establishment of a truce and the ending of this 12-day war imposed by the adventurism and provocation” of Israel, Pezeshkian said.
Trump will be formally greeted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and will attend a private dinner for Nato leaders later, according to his schedule.
The president’s trip will be brief: he will attend the summit on Wednesday and head straight back to Washington DC to rejoin efforts to persuade senators to pass his wide-ranging spending agenda known as the “big, beautiful bill” before the 4 July holiday.
A Guardian study of government data has revealed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (Ice) is continuing to arrest an increasing number of immigrants without any criminal history.
This report from Will Craft and José Olivares says the data appears to contradict frequent assertions by Trump administration officials that the agency is prioritizing the pursuit of criminals in its immigration enforcement operations.
In mid-June, Ice data shows there were more than 11,700 people in immigration detention who had been arrested by Ice despite having no track record of being charged with or convicted of a crime. That represents a staggering 1,271% increase from data released on those in immigration detention immediately before the start of Trump’s second term.
Overall, CBS News reports, there are a record 59,000 individuals currently in Ice custody, 10,000 more than in May, a figure significantly higher than the 41,000 detainee beds funded by Congress.
Read the full story here:
Democrats on the Senate committee overseeing aviation said Tuesday they will oppose the nomination of Republic Airways chief executive Bryan Bedford to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the commerce committee, and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, the ranking member of the aviation subcommittee, cited Bedford’s refusal to commit to uphold the 1,500-hour training rule for co-pilots, Reuters reports.
He faces a committee vote to advance his nomination on Wednesday.
In 2022, Bedford criticized the FAA’s rejection of Republic’s petition to allow only 750 hours of flight experience. Earlier this month he told lawmakers: “I would never do anything to compromise safety as administrator.”
Bedford has also previously criticized the FAA for what he sees as serious leadership, trust and culture issues.
A notable development on the day that vaccine averse health secretary Robert F Kennedy is testifying to congress: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted a report on Tuesday that said evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Any link between vaccines and autism has long been scientifically debunked, but that hasn’t prevented Kennedy, and others, from promoting conspiracy theories about it.
Tuesday’s report comes ahead of a two-day CDC meeting set for Wednesday, its first after Kennedy fired all 17 members of the independent committee of experts on vaccines, and replaced them with just eight new members, some of whom have previously advocated against vaccines.
On the agenda, Reuters reports, are discussions about thimerosal, a mercury-based organic preservative, in flu shots; and a safety review of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella shot.
Kennedy has a long history of casting doubt on the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence. He wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal causes brain damage.
According to the evidence report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the US were thimerosal-free during the 2024-25 flu season.
Rutte: no doubt Trump committed to mutual defense clause
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte also said on Tuesday he had no doubt that Trump was committed to the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause.
Rutte: no issues with disclosing message he sent to Trump
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has expressed that he has no problem with Trump disclosing the message he sent to him.
Earlier today, Trump posted a screenshot of a text message he received from Rutte, praising him for striking the Iranian nuclear sites.
In the message, Rutte congratulates and thanks Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, calling it“ truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do”.
Rutte then says that Trump is “flying into another big success in The Hague”.
On Tuesday afternoon Rutte said that he had no problem with Trump disclosing the message, and said that he believed that the tone of the message was appropriate.
In response to the Trump administration postponing the all-senators briefing on Iran that was scheduled for this afternoon, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the last-minute postponement as “outrageous, evasive, and derelict”.
In a statement, Schumer said:
Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening.
What is the administration so afraid of? Why won’t they engage with Congress on the critical details: the results of the recent strike, the scope and trajectory of this conflict, the administration’s long-term strategy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and the potential risks facing American citizens and our servicemembers?
To be abundantly clear: neither Pete Hegseth nor Marco Rubio were scheduled to attend this briefing. If Rubio and Hegseth want to come up on Thursday, in addition, not in replacement, to the planned briefing, fine.
Such obstruction undermines the very principles of accountability and oversight that safeguard our democracy.”
This comes as it was reported earlier today that the Trump administration had postponed classified briefings on the situation in Iran scheduled for today.
The all-Senate briefing was moved to Thursday, and the briefing for all House lawmakers was also reportedly postponed but it was not immediately when it would be rescheduled.
Trump heads to annual Nato summit as Rutte praises his ‘decisive action in Iran’
Trump left Washington DC this morning and is currently on his way to the annual Nato summit at The Hague.
This comes as earlier this morning, Trump posted what appeared to be a text message from Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, praising him for striking the Iranian nuclear sites.
In the message, which Rutte’s representatives confirmed as authentic to the New York Times, Rutte congratulates and thanks Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, calling it“truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do.”
Rutte then says that Trump is “flying into another big success in The Hague.”
The Trump administration has reportedly postponed classified briefings for Senate and House members regarding the situation in Iran.
According to the Associated Press, which cites multiple anonymous sources, the Senate briefing has been moved to Thursday so that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend, and the House briefings have been postponed.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said on Tuesday that he has rehired 942 employees who were previously laid off from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“I brought 722 people back to CDC, I brought 220 people back to NIH because we were not able to perform our job,” Kennedy stated today during a hearing before the US House of Representatives committee on energy and commerce’s subcommittee on health focused on his department’s 2026 budget request.
