Trump continues to shake up NATO
In a recent interview with GB News, former US President Donald Trump rekindled the controversy he ignited back in February. During a campaign rally, Trump had suggested that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever they want” to a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) if that member did not spend enough on defense.
Trump has consistently targeted the fact that many of NATO’s 32 member countries fail to meet the target of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense. According to Reuters, the US military remains the backbone of NATO’s military strength, and only 11 members are currently meeting the aforementioned target.
Following Trump’s comments in February, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced his expectation that 18 allies would achieve the 2% GDP goal by 2024.
Undeterred by the political backlash, Trump emphasized that he did not care if his political opponents used his comments against him in the lead-up to the November 5th election. His opponent in the election, incumbent President Joe Biden, is a staunch supporter of NATO.
“I don’t care if they use my comments or not. Because what I’m saying is a form of negotiation. Why should we be protecting these wealthy countries, and the US has to pay the majority of NATO?” Trump stated in the interview on March 19th.
When asked if the US would defend NATO allies if they started “paying a fair share,” Trump replied, “Yes. But the US should pay its fair share, not someone else’s fair share.”