Fact-checking Trump’s comments urging Russia to invade ‘delinquent’ NATO members
PBS NewsHourFEB 2024
NATO Chief: 'Unprecedented Rise' in Member Defense Spending
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The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
NATO is obviously waking up to the fact that a second Trump presidency is in the offing. The alliance's members are preparing to increase their spending, just as they did when Trump first took office and put them on notice. Under Trump, the US isn't going to protect any country who's not sufficiently invested in its own security and the protection of its allies.
Anti-Trump narrative
There are almost too many inaccuracies in Trump's understanding of NATO to break them all down. But a full two years before Trump took office, NATO decided that 2% of GDP would be a goal for defense spending, and it would be strived for over time. Countries who aren't meeting the goal aren't costing the US money. NATO isn't a protection racket, it's an alliance.