Donald Trump flies in for whirlwind Brussels visit

American president who once called EU’s capital a ‘hellhole’ arrives for a first-hand look, and a NATO summit.

After sword-dancing in Saudi Arabia, reflection at the Western Wall in Israel, and an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, U.S. President Donald Trump touched down Wednesday afternoon in Brussels for a 36-hour whirlwind of meetings in the European Union capital that he once branded a “hellhole.”

Air Force One landed at a military base adjacent to the main Brussels airport, and the president and his entourage were whisked by motorcade into the center of the city. Sirens wailed and helicopters buzzed overhead.

Brussels routinely hosts the world’s top political leaders, but special security arrangements were in place for the U.S. president, with streets closed off and, in the city’s European Quarter, police officers posted every half-block.

It was the sort of display of American exceptionalism that often irks Europeans but they generally tolerate with a shrug and a sniff.

Trump was afforded a royal welcome, literally. His first stop was at the Belgian royal palace, where he and his wife, Melania, were greeted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

The two couples posed for pictures before Trump and the king spoke for 20 minutes.

The visit with the royal family was followed by a chat with Prime Minister Charles Michel.

Frédéric Cauderlier, Michel’s spokesman, told POLITICO that Trump’s meeting with Belgian dignitaries was being held at the royal palace “for security reasons.”

“We have tried to avoid moving him around in an untimely way in Brussels,” Cauderlier said, adding that the prime minister in the meeting with Trump was expected to, “reaffirm the close alliance between Belgium and the U.S.”

When Trump arrived at the royal palace, “his first words were about his joy and pleasure to be in Brussels,” Cauderlier said. (It probably didn’t hurt that it was spectacularly sunny day in the often overcast city.)

The Trumps are reportedly staying just a five-minute walk from the palace, across the Parc de Bruxelles, at the currently vacant residence of the American ambassador to Belgium. (The Secret Service would not allow American officials to confirm where the president is staying, but the residence is centrally located and part of a well-guarded embassy compound. The president’s security detail also doesn’t particularly enjoy walkabouts, so Trump rode in his limousine back to the residence, which took all of two minutes.)

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In truth, Trump had his pick of three houses. Currently, there is no United States ambassador to Belgium, to the European Union, or to NATO, leaving all three residences open.

As the president arrived in Brussels, EU officials were bullish, their post-Brexit blues eased somewhat by the victories of pro-European candidates in recent Dutch and French national elections.

“We all remember the mood which we had here not only in Brussels but all around Europe — that is anxieties and sometimes even fears on the direction which the new American administration will take, especially or in particular vis-a-vis the integration of the European Continent,” a senior EU official said at a briefing ahead of Trump’s visit. “I think now being in a situation where we can not address existential questions but talk about business, talk about cooperation, is in itself a measure of progress which took place in these last few months.”

Before taking office, Trump and some of his top advisers had expressed doubts that the EU would survive Brexit, openly questioning which country would be next to leave the bloc. Since then, however, even U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has told Trump that a strong EU is a good thing.

“Trump, he was very much under the impression of Brexit,” the senior official said, offering an explanation for the president’s initial tone. Noting the election results, the official added, “We are in a completely different place. A lot of doubts which we had at the beginning of this administration have been dispelled.”

The EU’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini told reporters Wednesday that EU leaders would not shy away from discussing points of disagreement with the U.S. president. She said the approach would be “not to hide the points of divergence that can exist and on which we keep on talking — for us is fundamental the work on climate change, and the full implementation of the Paris agreement…to continue to invest in the United Nations system, in multilateralism, in conflict prevention, in peacekeeping, in humanitarian and development aid.” All are topics on which Trump has staked out very different positions from the EU.

For Trump, among the curious aspects of visiting Brussels is that he will rarely be the only president in the room.

On Thursday morning, he is scheduled to meet European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, followed by an expanded session that will include European Parliament President Antonio Tajani.

He will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron around midday and then head to NATO where he will help dedicate the alliance’s new headquarters and attend a leaders’ dinner, which will include a discussion focused on military spending and fighting terrorism. From NATO, Trump will fly on to Sicily for a meeting of the G7 economic powers.

Many European leaders still have serious concerns about Trump and his presidency, and some of the policy divisions, including on the issues of free trade and climate change, are expected to be on display at the G7 meeting.