Donald Trump renewed his criticism of NATO, saying the United States shoulders too much of the alliance’s cost. His latest comments come just days before another key NATO gathering, putting defense spending back in focus. Trump again argued that several allies are not contributing enough despite relying on U.S. military support.
Donald Trump rants on Truth Social about NATO alliances
Donald Trump returned to one of his longtime talking points in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. He argued that the U.S. is still footing a much bigger share of NATO’s defense bill than its allies. To make his case, he shared a list of military spending figures, saying the United States spent “$999 Billion Dollars” while countries like the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Poland spent far less.
Trump added that “Others, including Germany, are MUCH LOWER,” before calling the imbalance “Ridiculous!” It’s a criticism Trump has been making for years, saying America shoulders too much of NATO’s costs.
Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about the United States’ long-term commitment to NATO if member nations do not boost their defense spending. He has urged allies to increase military budgets from the alliance’s earlier target of 2% of GDP to as much as 5%, arguing that the U.S. should not continue bearing a disproportionate share of Europe’s security costs (via The Daily Beast).
The latest remarks come ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. Previously, Trump expressed frustration over the recent Iran conflict, saying several NATO partners failed to stand with the United States.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Oval Office last month, he said America managed without outside assistance but admitted it “would have been nice” to receive more support, adding, “We were let down.”
During the conflict, Italy reportedly refused permission for U.S. bombers to operate from its military bases, and Spain did not allow American aircraft taking part in the strikes to pass through its airspace.
