Donald Trump drew international condemnation on Wednesday after he used a live NATO meeting in Ankara to describe Iranians as 'a bunch of scum' and claim the United States had struck Iran 'very powerfully' the previous night. The US president was speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance's summit, which is focused on military burden-sharing, the war with Iran and Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The NATO gathering in Turkey has been billed as an attempt to lock in long-term, collective support for Ukraine, even as unease grows over alliance spending and political will. Trump has long been the most disruptive voice on that front, repeatedly questioning the value of NATO and railing against what he calls unfair financial obligations for the United States. Ahead of the summit, he had already irritated several leaders by reiterating a familiar obsession: that he believes the US should control Greenland, an idea he first floated while in office and has refused to drop.
