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Trump Hosts Dutch PM Ahead of NATO Summit: 'We're Very Close to Making Good, Fair Trade Deals'

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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump welcomed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the White House Monday.

"It's a great honor," Trump told Rutte. "We have a very close relationship."

The two world leaders are set to meet in the Oval Office where Trump is expected to press for a boost in defense spending from the Netherlands along with free and fair trade across Europe.

"We are very close to making good, fair trade deals for our taxpayers and our workers," Trump said.

"We have to work something out," Rutte added. "The relationship with US and Netherlands is 400 years old."

The talks come amid trade tensions with allies and the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels.  

The European Union is warning Trump not to go forward with tariffs on auto imports – or expect retaliatory tariffs to the tune of $300 billion on US exports.

On Sunday, Canada hit the US with nearly $13 billion in counter-tariffs after the Trump administration slapped duties on aluminum and steel imported to the US.

US allies are upset with Trump after he imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum. 

"I think the EU, we will be meeting with them fairly soon," Trump said. "If we do work it out, it will be positive." 

Following the NATO summit, Trump is scheduled to sit down with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on July 16.

 

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About The Author

Ben
Kennedy

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning White House correspondent for CBN News in Washington, D.C. He has more than a decade of reporting experience covering breaking news nationwide. He's traveled cross country covering the President and scored exclusive interviews with lawmakers and White House officials. Kennedy spent seven years reporting for WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida. While there he reported live from Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Matthew hit the island. He was the first journalist to interview Diana Nyad moments after her historic swim from Cuba to Key West. He reported