INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Dutch PM Mark Rutte visited the White House to meet with Donald Trump on July 2
(AFP)Most state leaders would avoid saying "no" to President Donald Trump in a room full of reporters
But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte isn't like most leaders.Rutte, a liberal straight-shooter known for mopping up his own coffee spills and
cycling to the royal palace in Amsterdam, met with Trump amid rising trade tensions between the United States and the European Union, of
which the Netherlands is a member
In a five-minute news conference in the Oval Office, Rutte spoke significantly less than Trump
But when the Dutch prime minister interjected, he made himself heard.About a minute into his remarks, Trump suggested that leaving the trade
dispute unresolved could still be "positive." Rutte responded by raising his eyebrows, laughing and cutting in to say, "no." When Trump kept
going, Rutte said while smiling to reporters: "It will not be positive
We will work something out."Read the full exchange here:Trump: We are very close to making some very good trade deals
Fair trade deals - I didn't want to say "good," I want to say "fair." Fair trade deals for our taxpayers and for our workers and our farmers
And a lot of good things are happening
I think the E.U., we're going to be meeting with them fairly soon and we want to see if they can work something out
That will be good, and if we do work it out, that'll be positive, and if we don't, it'll be positive also.Rutte: No.Trump: Well, just think
about those cars that pour in here-Rutte: It's not positive
We have to work something out.Trump: It'll be
Prime Minister, thank you very much for being here.Rutte: It's good to be here.While Rutte's concise interjection tickled many in the
Netherlands, his remarks belie a deeper tension growing between the U.S
and its European allies.In May, Trump commissioned an investigation by the Commerce Department into the state of automobile imports into the
U.S., prompting European Union leaders to send Trump an 11-page document last Friday threatening to levy taxes on $290 billion in U.S
Trump responded by tweeting that the U.S
would impose a 20 percent tax on all European cars if the E.U
did not remove existing tariffs, and then saying in a televised interview with Fox News that the E.U
is "as bad as China" when it comes to trade.The Netherlands is the sixth-largest economy in the E.U., and the fifth-largest exporter of
goods in the world, according to data from market research company Statista
The country has a lot at stake in the face of U.S
protectionism, and this is not the first time Rutte has made that clear
In March, the Dutch leader told reporters that Trump's decision to impose a global steel and aluminum tax was "very disappointing," adding
had "to make clear we are prepared to take countermeasures."Rutte, who has now served as prime minister for two terms, is also reportedly
planning to run for the position of European Council president in 2019, when current President Donald Tusk is poised to step down
If Rutte is serious about representing the European Council, he will need to show that he can hold his own with Trump
