By — Lorne Cook, Associated Press Lorne Cook, Associated Press By — Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-live-trump-holds-news-conference-at-nato-summit-in-turkey Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Trump holds news conference at NATO summit in Turkey World Updated on Jul 8, 2026 1:58 PM EDT — Published on Jul 8, 2026 9:23 AM EDT President Donald Trump had high praise for the NATO summit and its "tremendous unity" on Wednesday. Watch in our video player above. Despite repeated criticism that NATO has done too little to help the United States, Trump was effusive about the warmth he felt as leaders met Wednesday. READ MORE: Trump again demands Greenland as NATO unveils military projects worth billions to prove its firepower Trump said there was "tremendous love in that room" along with "tremendous unity." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. He described his allies as "very smart people — they have a lot of good in their heart, not evil, good." It was a remarkable turn after Trump had renewed his criticisms against European allies. Trump says there was a lot of 'love' in the NATO working session The president said "there was tremendous love in that room" that the press didn't get to witness, including what he said was respect and love for the country. He told reporters that he didn't want to say it was for him "because you'll say, 'Oh, he's so conceited. He's such a conceited person.'" READ MORE: What to know about NATO's summit in Turkey But he then said that the other leaders like the job he's doing and "grown people" in the room said, "Sir, we love you." Trump then mused on whether what he heard was just flattery, saying: "Maybe they're trying to get to me. And in a way they did." Trump suggests that communist candidates are ugly During his news conference, Trump said that "all I do is talk about communism" on TikTok and in recent public comments. The president has spent weeks criticizing progressive Democratic primary winners as communists. But he added a new insult this time, implying that none of those candidates are attractive. WATCH: At NATO summit, Trump pressures allies on loyalty, defense spending and Greenland "I don't see any looker," Trump said. "I don't see anyone with the look." By way of elaboration, he added, "I guess you need something. They don't have it and I think they'll fade fast." In reference to more moderate politicians in Europe, Trump said, "These are not social democrats" but instead, "These are communists that are running and they don't want God." WATCH: U.S. launches new strikes on Iran after attacks on tankers in Strait of Hormuz Trump exaggerates his TikTok popularity Trump claimed that he's "No. 1 on TikTok." He did not specify which metric he used to make that determination, but it's not true based on follower counts. As of Wednesday, the Senegalese-Italian influencer Khabane Lame, known for his silent comedy videos, was the most followed user on the platform with 162.3 million followers. Trump has 16.7 million followers — that doesn't even put him in the top 50. Trump describes Iran as weakened but alludes to ongoing security concerns Trump said that all of Iran's anti-aircraft weapons are "gone" but suggested Tehran still can down aircraft, adding immediately: "That doesn't mean they're not going to get a plane at some point." He then said, "Everything's gone," and remarked on how many of Iran's leaders were taken out. "You know what? I may be gone too, because I'm their No. 1 target," Trump said. Even before the Iran war, federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump for years. The Justice Department in 2024 announced that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted. Trump says of Iran that US military might 'just finish the job' "We can play games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal," the president said. "Just finish the job." Trump has said that the tentative ceasefire with Iran may now be off and is threatening a new round of attacks. His comments about finishing the job came in response to a question about Trump having previously said that Iran's leaders were rational and acceptable to deal with, only to now suggest they are "crazy." The president said he had a change of heart over Iranian leaders because "I got to know them." He also suggested that leaders who have emerged in Iran after the war began are no longer looking out for the Iranian people. Trump says there is an 'oil glut right now' The president played down the risks that an intensifying war with Iran could drive up oil prices, claiming that the world has an "oil glut." "This will end very quickly," Trump said. "We have an oil glut right now, because we got all those boats out of the strait, and it's going to drop, and I predicted everything." Trump spoke as U.S. oil futures topped $75 a barrel in Wednesday afternoon trading, a daily increase of more than 6%. The International Energy Agency said this week that oil supplies could exceed demand if there is a durable ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that keeps the Strait of Hormuz open. It said any surplus would be driven by a 1.1 million-barrel-a-day drop in global oil demand this year. Trump promises quick resolution in Iran even as he says ceasefire is over "I don't think it's going to start again; I think it's going to go very quickly," Trump said when asked whether the war was restarting. He repeated an earlier threat, saying the U.S. "might" strike Iran again tonight, but he insisted it wouldn't lengthen the war significantly. "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," he said. "We're not looking for long-term." Trump gives confusing answer on why he's changing planes on the way home Trump flew to Turkey on his new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar. But he announced in a social media post earlier Wednesday that the plane he had proudly shown off would instead visit Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom so military members could "tour the Aircraft." Trump said he would be flying home in an older plane used as Air Force One "for old time's sake." When asked Wednesday if security concerns played a role in the switch, Trump didn't directly answer but said he was "No. 1 on the list for killing" by Iran. The U.S. Air Force referred inquiries to the White House. Images of the jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile-detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Lorne Cook, Associated Press Lorne Cook, Associated Press By — Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Associated Press
President Donald Trump had high praise for the NATO summit and its "tremendous unity" on Wednesday. Watch in our video player above. Despite repeated criticism that NATO has done too little to help the United States, Trump was effusive about the warmth he felt as leaders met Wednesday. READ MORE: Trump again demands Greenland as NATO unveils military projects worth billions to prove its firepower Trump said there was "tremendous love in that room" along with "tremendous unity." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. He described his allies as "very smart people — they have a lot of good in their heart, not evil, good." It was a remarkable turn after Trump had renewed his criticisms against European allies. Trump says there was a lot of 'love' in the NATO working session The president said "there was tremendous love in that room" that the press didn't get to witness, including what he said was respect and love for the country. He told reporters that he didn't want to say it was for him "because you'll say, 'Oh, he's so conceited. He's such a conceited person.'" READ MORE: What to know about NATO's summit in Turkey But he then said that the other leaders like the job he's doing and "grown people" in the room said, "Sir, we love you." Trump then mused on whether what he heard was just flattery, saying: "Maybe they're trying to get to me. And in a way they did." Trump suggests that communist candidates are ugly During his news conference, Trump said that "all I do is talk about communism" on TikTok and in recent public comments. The president has spent weeks criticizing progressive Democratic primary winners as communists. But he added a new insult this time, implying that none of those candidates are attractive. WATCH: At NATO summit, Trump pressures allies on loyalty, defense spending and Greenland "I don't see any looker," Trump said. "I don't see anyone with the look." By way of elaboration, he added, "I guess you need something. They don't have it and I think they'll fade fast." In reference to more moderate politicians in Europe, Trump said, "These are not social democrats" but instead, "These are communists that are running and they don't want God." WATCH: U.S. launches new strikes on Iran after attacks on tankers in Strait of Hormuz Trump exaggerates his TikTok popularity Trump claimed that he's "No. 1 on TikTok." He did not specify which metric he used to make that determination, but it's not true based on follower counts. As of Wednesday, the Senegalese-Italian influencer Khabane Lame, known for his silent comedy videos, was the most followed user on the platform with 162.3 million followers. Trump has 16.7 million followers — that doesn't even put him in the top 50. Trump describes Iran as weakened but alludes to ongoing security concerns Trump said that all of Iran's anti-aircraft weapons are "gone" but suggested Tehran still can down aircraft, adding immediately: "That doesn't mean they're not going to get a plane at some point." He then said, "Everything's gone," and remarked on how many of Iran's leaders were taken out. "You know what? I may be gone too, because I'm their No. 1 target," Trump said. Even before the Iran war, federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump for years. The Justice Department in 2024 announced that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted. Trump says of Iran that US military might 'just finish the job' "We can play games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal," the president said. "Just finish the job." Trump has said that the tentative ceasefire with Iran may now be off and is threatening a new round of attacks. His comments about finishing the job came in response to a question about Trump having previously said that Iran's leaders were rational and acceptable to deal with, only to now suggest they are "crazy." The president said he had a change of heart over Iranian leaders because "I got to know them." He also suggested that leaders who have emerged in Iran after the war began are no longer looking out for the Iranian people. Trump says there is an 'oil glut right now' The president played down the risks that an intensifying war with Iran could drive up oil prices, claiming that the world has an "oil glut." "This will end very quickly," Trump said. "We have an oil glut right now, because we got all those boats out of the strait, and it's going to drop, and I predicted everything." Trump spoke as U.S. oil futures topped $75 a barrel in Wednesday afternoon trading, a daily increase of more than 6%. The International Energy Agency said this week that oil supplies could exceed demand if there is a durable ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that keeps the Strait of Hormuz open. It said any surplus would be driven by a 1.1 million-barrel-a-day drop in global oil demand this year. Trump promises quick resolution in Iran even as he says ceasefire is over "I don't think it's going to start again; I think it's going to go very quickly," Trump said when asked whether the war was restarting. He repeated an earlier threat, saying the U.S. "might" strike Iran again tonight, but he insisted it wouldn't lengthen the war significantly. "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," he said. "We're not looking for long-term." Trump gives confusing answer on why he's changing planes on the way home Trump flew to Turkey on his new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar. But he announced in a social media post earlier Wednesday that the plane he had proudly shown off would instead visit Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom so military members could "tour the Aircraft." Trump said he would be flying home in an older plane used as Air Force One "for old time's sake." When asked Wednesday if security concerns played a role in the switch, Trump didn't directly answer but said he was "No. 1 on the list for killing" by Iran. The U.S. Air Force referred inquiries to the White House. Images of the jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile-detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now