NATO's next leader knows how to handle Trump but will he be able to rein him in?

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

83% : "It was just a very polite, slightly humorous way of dealing Trump, and Trump appreciated it," Hoekstra recalled to CNN.
74% : "Trump likes people that will push back, especially if they do it in a very respectful way," said Pete Hoekstra, Trump's ambassador to the Netherlands.
54% : Rutte was not only cheered for the NATO secretary general job because of his experience with Trump.
52% : "We are not there yet, but it is better than when Trump left," the official told CNN.
48% : "Still, just because the former president and Rutte "have a good working relationship ... because they genuinely like each other," it does not mean that Trump will be deterred from "his agenda," Hoekstra said.
43% : 'Not a superhero'A European diplomat told CNN that Rutte is "certainly not a superhero," noting that "one may try to please Trump but not fool him, so ultimately what matters with NATO is real action and most importantly real money.
42% : Rutte is also seen as someone who can work with whoever is elected US president, officials told CNN, and some hope that Rutte's past relationship with Trump, from when they led their respective countries, could deter the former president from undermining the alliance if he is reelected.
42% : In a meeting where Trump was talking about the "trade deficit," Hoekstra recalled, Rutte pushed back, "with a smile on his face," that they did indeed need to address the trade deficit between the US and the Netherlands.
35% : The former ambassador argued that "Trump was never against NATO," but rather "was against a NATO that the Europeans didn't support," referencing the fact that many European countries at the time did not contribute 2% of their GDP to defense.

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