President Donald Trump will enter a planned two-day summit of NATO countries Wednesday with a near singular demand that each country must increase its defense commitments to the alliance.
Getting ready to leave for Europe. First meeting – NATO. The U.S. is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them. Not fair to the U.S. taxpayer. On top of that we lose $151 Billion on Trade with the European Union. Charge us big Tariffs (& Barriers)!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2018
NATO countries must pay MORE, the United States must pay LESS. Very Unfair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2018
“We do have a lot of allies. But we cannot be taken advantage of. We’re being taken advantage of by the European Union. We spend 75 percent on NATO and frankly, it helps them more than it helps us,” Trump said moments before stepping on Air Force One.
The message is one the president has been trumpeting since his time as U.S. presidential candidate in 2016 began with a clear belief that the United States is being taken advantage of in the alliance. Only five of the 29 countries in the alliance met their agreed-upon 2-percent GDP spending targets on defense in 2016.