{"id":86991,"date":"2026-07-07T09:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/trump-lands-in-turkey-ahead-of-critical-nato-talks-as-strongman-leader-deploys-charm-offensive\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T09:18:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:18:00","slug":"trump-lands-in-turkey-ahead-of-critical-nato-talks-as-strongman-leader-deploys-charm-offensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/trump-lands-in-turkey-ahead-of-critical-nato-talks-as-strongman-leader-deploys-charm-offensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump lands in Turkey ahead of critical NATO talks as strongman leader deploys charm offensive"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"js-article-text\">\n<ul>\n<li class><strong><a class rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.news.dailymail.co.uk\/join\/dc-insider-sign-up?utm_source=dailymail.co.uk&#038;utm_medium=organic_editorial&#038;utm_campaign=conversion_newsletter&#038;utm_term=dcinsider_bullets&#038;utm_budgetpot=organic\">Sign up HERE for DC Insider<\/a> &#8211; your free guide to what&#8217;s rocking Washington<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>See more Daily Mail on Google &#8211; <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=dailymail.com\">save us as a Preferred Source<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/profile-962\/jon-michael-raasch.html\">JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?screen_name=JMRaasch&#038;tw_p=followbutton\"><span><\/span><\/a> <\/p>\n<p><span> <span>Published:<\/span> <time datetime=\"2026-07-07T12:49:38+0100\"> 07:49 EDT, 7 July 2026 <\/time> <\/span> | <span> <span>Updated:<\/span> <time datetime=\"2026-07-07T13:34:35+0100\"> 08:34 EDT, 7 July 2026 <\/time> <\/span> <\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/donald_trump\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f41b5bc0-79f8-11f1-8158-7318a3dddfe0\">Donald Trump<\/a> received a warm welcome from Turkey&#8217;s strongman PresidentRecep Tayyip <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/recep-tayyip-erdogan\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f421c460-79f8-11f1-8158-7318a3dddfe0\">Erdogan<\/a> after touching down in the country for a high-stakes <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/nato\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f4263130-79f8-11f1-8158-7318a3dddfe0\">NATO<\/a> summit.<\/p>\n<p>The whirlwind two-day meeting is critical for the US, the host country and the future of the alliance that has been strained by Trump&#8217;s war with <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/iran\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f42805f0-79f8-11f1-8158-7318a3dddfe0\">Iran<\/a>. Trump has fumed over NATO allies&#8217; initial refusal to help in Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n<p>An aqua blue carpet sprawled over the tarmac for the President&#8217;s arrival as members of the Turkish military stood at attention while the Republican went to embrace Erdogan.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/article-6273473\/Trump-boasts-terrific-relationship-Turkish-president-Kentucky-rally.html\">The pair have a close relationship<\/a>, and Trump frequently compliments the Turkish leader&#8217;s strength, and more recently, his support for the US war in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has remarked how Erdogan has stayed out of the US-Iran war and notably not launched hostilities against <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/israel-hamas-conflict\/index.html\" id=\"mol-4d3674d0-79fc-11f1-8158-7318a3dddfe0\">Israel<\/a>. &#8216;Everything I&#8217;ve ever asked from him, he&#8217;s done,&#8217; Trump said at a late June Oval Office event.<\/p>\n<p>Then the world leaders, at times holding each other&#8217;s arms in a sign of affection, went inside to begin the summit.<\/p>\n<p>Trump is widely expected to ask NATO allies at the session to increase their spending on defense. He&#8217;s referred to the group as a &#8216;paper tiger&#8217; that would cease to function without American leadership.<\/p>\n<p>He has complained continuously since his first term that partners do not spend enough on defense, since the lion&#8217;s share of NATO defense money comes from US coffers.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>President Donald Trump walks arm-in-arm with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, upon arriving for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Trump and Erdogan are close and the Turkish leader appeared to be putting on an early charm offensive. The Turkish leader wants Trump to approve the sale of US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Erdogan awaits Trump&#8217;s disembarkation from the new Air Force One plane gifted to Trump by Qatar<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Erdogan reportedly wants Trump to approve US military sales to Turkey, specifically US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, one of the crown jewels of the US Air Force.<\/p>\n<p>However, US law currently forbids the sale of the planes to Turkey, posing a wrinkle for both presidents.<\/p>\n<p>Congress barred Turkey in 2018 from obtaining the bespoke US military aircraft after it purchased Russian air defense systems during the President&#8217;s first term.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers were concerned that Russia&#8217;s S-400 air defense system could track, detect and collect intel on the F-35&#8217;s stealth capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Officials were worried that if Turkey had both systems, it would pose a major risk to the plane&#8217;s technological edge.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has seemingly warmed to the proposal of selling Turkey the F-35s.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;m going to probably do something that&#8217;s going to make him very happy,&#8217; Trump recently said of Erdogan at an Oval Office event when asked about providing the jets to Turkey on the trip.&#8217;Look, he&#8217;s a member of NATO &#8230; some people don&#8217;t consider him, but he really is.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran  maybe on the Iran side, because he&#8217;s not a big fan of Israel,&#8217; Trump said of Erdogan at the late June event in the Oval Office. &#8216;I asked him to stay out. He stayed out.&#8217;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>President Donald Trump shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon arriving for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters this weekthat &#8216;we will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>But Trump does not just want NATO to increase its spending.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We dont need their money &#8211; we dont need anything,&#8217; Trump said recently. &#8216;I just want loyalty.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>The summit is being held in <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/recep-tayyip-erdogan\">Erdogans<\/a> sprawling palace compound in Ankara, and Trump has suggested he would come bearing gifts for the Turkish leader.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking Monday on the morning show &#8216;Fox &#038; Friends,&#8217; <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/benjamin-netanyahu\" class>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> urged the U.S. not to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, saying that Erdogan &#8216;calls openly for the annihilation of Israel.&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                                                  <ad-slot position=\"smart_feed\"><\/ad-slot>                                                                <ad-slot position=\"after_article\"><\/ad-slot>                                                                                                                                                                         <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sign up HERE for DC Insider &#8211; your free guide to what&#8217;s rocking Washington See more Daily Mail on Google &#8211; save us as a Preferred Source By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 07:49 EDT, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 08:34 EDT, 7 July 2026 Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Turkey&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":86992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-donald-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}