NATO reportedly adjusts meeting format for Trump’s attention span – SFGate

As the media and lawmakers debated what classified information Donald Trump reportedly shared with the Russians, America's allies were preparing for their first meeting with the president by putting on their kid gloves.

The 28 member nations of NATO have plenty of reason to be apprehensive over the May 25 session. After all, during the campaign Trump repeatedly criticized the alliance for not paying its fair share, although he has reversed that position recently.

So NATO reportedly has come up with a plan to handle Trump as parents might try to control an easily distracted child.

Here are the special precautions being taken, according to Foreign Policy:

NATO is scrambling to tailor its upcoming meeting to avoid taxing President Donald Trump's notoriously short attention span. The alliance is telling heads of state to limit talks to two to four minutes at a time during the discussion, several sources inside NATO and former senior U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy. And the alliance scrapped plans to publish the traditional full post-meeting statement meant to crystallize NATO's latest strategic stance.

On May 25, NATO will host the heads of state of all 28 member countries in what will be Trump's first face-to-face summit with an alliance he bashed repeatedly while running for president. NATO traditionally organizes a meeting within the first few months of a new U.S. president's term, but Trump has the alliance more on edge than any previous newcomer, forcing organizers to look for ways to make the staid affair more engaging.

A NATO summit meeting can be a dry affair marked by long-winded speeches, but this appears to be the first time the alliance has attempted to insulate an American president from detail-heavy policy discussions.

"Even a brief NATO summit is way too stiff, too formal, and too policy heavy for Trump. Trump is not going to like that," Jorge Benitez, a NATO expert with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, told Foreign Policy.

NATO is reportedly worried that its summit meeting will not hold President Donald Trump's interest.

NATO is reportedly worried that its summit meeting will not hold President Donald Trump's interest.

10. "Egotistical," 15 times

10. "Egotistical," 15 times

9. "Ignorant," 16 times

9. "Ignorant," 16 times

8. "Businessman," 18 times

8. "Businessman," 18 times

7. "Strong," 21 times

7. "Strong," 21 times

6. "President," 22 times

6. "President," 22 times

5. "Unqualified," 25 times

5. "Unqualified," 25 times

4. "Leader," 25 times

4. "Leader," 25 times

3. "Liar," 30 times

3. "Liar," 30 times

2. "Incompetent," 31 times

2. "Incompetent," 31 times

1. "Idiot," 39 times

1. "Idiot," 39 times

NATO reportedly adjusts meeting format for Trump's attention span

So the message to other heads of state is, keep it short and upbeat do not bore Trump.

He might get cranky.

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NATO reportedly adjusts meeting format for Trump's attention span - SFGate