Trump Inspires Confusion at NATO and Anger in London
*By Alisha Haridasani*
President Trump on Thursday wrapped the NATO summit, leaving behind a trail of confusion, and landed in London where he faces chaos and anger.
The president, despite hurling [criticism](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-wastes-no-time-attacking-allies-at-nato-summit-in-brussels) at the military alliance for days, reaffirmed American commitment to the organization.
“I believe in NATO,” he said in an press conference in Brussels. He then went on to proclaim that NATO members had agreed to increasing their defense spending.
Moments later, though, French president Emmanuel Macron disputed Trump’s claims, saying all 29 members had re-committed to the previous spending target of 2 percent of their GDP.
The confusion was further compounded by Trump's reported behavior in private meetings with NATO leaders, where he was characteristically combative and threatened to pull out of the alliance unless members met their 2 percent targets by January.
Trump is now in London to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May in what is his first visit to the British capital since becoming president.
May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump at the White House in 2017 and invited him to visit her country in an attempt to solidify the decades-long 'special relationship' between the UK and the U.S.
Trump, however, soured that relationship many times. He slammed London Mayor Sadiq Khan for mishandling the aftermath of the June terror attack in the British capital. Trump also controversially retweeted a video from a far-right British party, a move that drew the ire of many Britons.
All of these incidents added pressure on May to revoke her invitation to Trump. Instead, what had been an state visit was downgraded to a working visit, which means the Queen does not officially host the president and the first lady as she has done with previous U.S. presidents. But Trump will still meet with the Queen at Windsor Castle on Friday. During a state visit, foreign leaders are invited to address the British Parliament ー Trump will not be given that chance.
Prior to his flight from Brussels to London, Trump said: "I think they like me a lot in the UK."
Tens of thousands of protesters would disagree. Trump's visit has inspired Londoners to pull together a “Carnival of Resistance” that will feature massive crowds marching through the streets, a giant balloon of a baby Trump floating in the skies, and a group of people blaring trumpets to make a ["bad noise for bad times"](https://www.facebook.com/Trumpets-Against-Trump-1834111463526077/).
"Having a special relationship means that we expect the highest standards from each other," said Mayor Khan, who signed off on the baby balloon. "It also means speaking out when we think the values we hold dear are under threat."
After London, Trump will head to Finland on Monday to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin, a one-on-one private conversation that has raised concern among global allies and [congressional lawmakers](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-meeks-trump-is-putting-russia-first) back at home.
Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, joined Cheddar News to discuss how prices are being affected by the war and how much worse it could potentially get for drivers. "It's obviously a fluid situation. In one field today, I might feel differently in a half hour. But for now, I think we could see the national average realistically go somewhere into the mid $4 range, maybe $4.40 to $4.65 based on what we're seeing," he said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol.
Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.
Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, believes a lot of the bad news regarding the fighting in Ukraine and Fed is already priced into the market and looming uncertainty factored into Friday's movement. However, he also believes the upcoming Fed decision will be good news for Wall Street.
News of Russian forces taking control of a Ukrainian after artillery bombardment of a nuclear power plant raised concerns this week. Nuclear policy expert and Quincy Institute Distinguished Fellow Joe Cirincione joined Cheddar News to discuss the implications for a potential disaster. “I’m with the director general of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says that he is extremely concerned, and that this Russian attack is a severe risk and that Russia clearly violated the fundamental principle of preserving the integrity of nuclear power plants," Cirincione said.
Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, major businesses from BP to Big Tech like Apple have been pausing their business dealings with the invading nation. Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at commerce software company Bloomreach, joined Cheddar News to discuss how some companies are showing support for Ukraine and what this could mean for consumers. "Whether it be impacts on energy or operational costs, shipping and logistics, or frankly impacts on the financial services industry, these will have long term implications on retail prices," he said.
About 678,000 jobs were created in February, hundreds of thousands more than predicted, according to the latest Labor Department report, showing a broad economic recovery despite inflation woes. Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden, joined Cheddar News to talk about the employment figures. "This really shows that the economy is now more resilient because of the tools that we have in place," Boushey said. "So I'm optimistic that we'll be able to weather future storms."
Ramit Varma, Independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, joins Cheddar News to discuss the race and how he plans to tackle critical issues in the California city.
