Dutch King made "fundamental" differences clear to president Trump during U.S. visit

King Willem-Alexander says he made it clear to United States president Donald Trump “that we disagree on fundamental points.” According to Willem-Alexander, the conversation during the dinner at the White House was “open, honest, and respectful.” The King also emphasized that “you don’t get anywhere in the world if you only talk to people you agree with.”

At the end of his trip to America, the King spoke with Dutch media in Miami on Wednesday. The King did not want to give concrete examples of topics discussed during the dinner. “That’s not up to me,” he said. However, he did praise the hospitality of president Trump and first lady Melania. “They really did their best to ensure we had a very nice evening.” He also said that “the atmosphere was good and there was laughter.”

Willem-Alexander did say that the Caribbean part of the Netherlands came up in conversation. “We made it clear that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is closer to Venezuela than the width of the Strait of Hormuz,” the King said. “That was a visualization that was useful.” The King did not expand on the context of this remark.

The King said he felt a special personal family connection to the White House during his visit. “My mother and aunts once ran through the corridors of the White House during the war when they came to visit from Ottawa. The family was back in the White House. It was a nice moment to add to history.”

Trump’s invitation ot the White House followed last year’s NATO summit. The American president stayed at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague at the time.

The King also said on Wednesday that he considers it important that the Netherlands presents itself as a kingdom of not one, but four countries. According to Willem-Alexander, the Netherlands can “in this way truly serve as a bridge for a great many people.”

The King was also grateful that the countries of Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten were present during the visit to Miami. “For those three countries, Florida is the most important trading partner,” the King said.

At the end of his working visit, Willem-Alexander also gave a speech at the Freedom Tower in Miami. He said that cooperation in the fields of water management and the maritime industry has been strengthened. “In this way, we increase resilience against flooding and elevate our ports and shipping to a higher level.”