Federal policy on NATO, 2017-2018

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On July 12, 2018, upon the conclusion of a two-day visit with NATO allies, President Donald Trump (R) announced at a press conference that he had obtained commitments from allies to increase defense spending. Trump said, "Yesterday I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening. They have substantially upped their commitment and now we're very happy and have a very, very powerful, very, very strong NATO." Trump also reiterated the United States' commitment to the alliance, saying, "The United States' commitment to NATO remains very strong."^[1]

In 2014, member nations agreed to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. At the time of Trump's July 12 press conference, NATO officials estimated that 15 of the 28 member nations were on track to meet that goal.^[1]

This page tracked major events and policy positions of the Trump administration on NATO from 2017 and 2018. This page was updated through 2018. Think something is missing? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

• July 12, 2018: Trump attends NATO meeting, says allies committed to increased defense spending
• June 9, 2017: Trump supports Article 5
• June 4, 2017: NATO secretary-general says Trump fully supports NATO
• May 25, 2017: Trump speaks at NATO headquarters

July 12, 2018: Trump attends NATO meeting, says allies committed to increased defense spending[edit]

On July 12, 2018, upon the conclusion of a two-day visit with NATO allies, Trump announced at a press conference that he had obtained commitments from allies to increase defense spending. Trump said, "Yesterday I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening. They have substantially upped their commitment and now we're very happy and have a very, very powerful, very, very strong NATO." Trump also reiterated the United States' commitment to the alliance, saying, "The United States' commitment to NATO remains very strong."^[1]

In 2014, member nations agreed to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. At the time of Trump's July 12 press conference, NATO officials estimated that 15 of the 28 member nations were on track to meet that goal. At the July 12 press conference, Trump said, "Some are at 2 percent, others have agreed definitely to go to 2 percent, and some are going back to get approval, and which they will get to go to 2 percent." On July 11, Trump said via Twitter, "Where are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment? The U.S. is paying for Europe's protection, then loses billions on Trade. Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025."^[5]

French President Emmanuel Macron, at a separate press conference on July 12, denied that member nations committed to increased defense spending beyond the aforementioned 2 percent goal. Macron also denied that Trump had threatened to leave the alliance, as some media reports suggested: "President Trump never at any moment, either in public or in private, threatened to withdraw from NATO."^[1]

June 9, 2017: Trump supports Article 5[edit]

During a press conference on June 9, 2017, Trump committed to supporting NATO’s Article 5, which states that "an attack against one or several members is considered as an attack against all." Trump said, “Well, I'm committing the United States, and have committed, but I'm committing the United States to Article 5. Yes, absolutely I'd be committed to Article 5.”^[6]

June 4, 2017: NATO secretary-general says Trump fully supports NATO[edit]

On June 4, 2017, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that he believed Trump was committed to NATO. He said that Trump had “stated that he’s committed to NATO, and his security team has also stated that very clearly." According to The Hill, Stoltenberg said "that Trump 'has stated several times' that he is committed to the alliance and that the president’s calls for member nations to increase defense spending have 'helped to convey a very clear message' about NATO commitments."^[7]

May 25, 2017: Trump speaks at NATO headquarters[edit]

During his first foreign trip as president, Trump spoke at a ceremony unveiling a memorial at the entrance to NATO headquarters on May 25, 2017. He called on NATO members to pay their fair share of defense spending—2 percent of GDP—and said that the underpayments of 23 of the 28 member nations harmed NATO's ability to fight terrorism.^[8]

Trump said, "The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATO’s eastern and southern borders. These grave security concerns are the same reason that I have been very, very direct with Secretary Stoltenberg and members of the Alliance in saying that NATO members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations, for 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they’re supposed to be paying for their defense. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. And many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years and not paying in those past years. Over the last eight years, the United States spent more on defense than all other NATO countries combined. If all NATO members had spent just 2 percent of their GDP on defense last year, we would have had another $119 billion for our collective defense and for the financing of additional NATO reserves. We should recognize that with these chronic underpayments and growing threats, even 2 percent of GDP is insufficient to close the gaps in modernizing, readiness, and the size of forces. We have to make up for the many years lost. Two percent is the bare minimum for confronting today’s very real and very vicious threats. If NATO countries made their full and complete contributions, then NATO would be even stronger than it is today, especially from the threat of terrorism."^[8]

Trump also spoke about the memorial, which has a piece of steel from the World Trade Center and a portion of the Berlin Wall. The memorial symbolizes the principle of collective defense established in NATO Article 5. Article 5 was invoked after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Speaking about the artifacts donated by the U.S. and Germany, Trump said, "Each one marks a pivotal event in the history of this Alliance and in the eternal battle between good and evil. On one side, a testament to the triumph of our ideals over a totalitarian Communist ideology bent on the oppression of millions and millions of people; on the other, a painful reminder of the barbaric evil that still exists in the world and that we must confront and defeat together as a group, as a world. This twisted mass of metal reminds us not only of what we have lost, but also what forever endures -- the courage of our people, the strength of our resolve, and the commitments that bind us together as one. We will never forget the lives that were lost. We will never forsake the friends who stood by our side. And we will never waiver in our determination to defeat terrorism and to achieve lasting security, prosperity and peace."^[8][9]

Background[edit]

In January 2017, Trump said that NATO was obsolete because he thought that the alliance was not equipped to fight terrorism, a point that he made while campaigning for president. During an interview with The Times of London, Trump said, "I said a long time ago — that Nato had problems. Number one it was obsolete, because it was, you know, designed many, many years ago. Number two — the countries aren’t paying what they’re supposed to pay. I took such heat, when I said Nato was obsolete. It’s obsolete because it wasn’t taking care of terror. ... And the other thing is the countries aren’t paying their fair share so we’re supposed to protect countries but a lot of these countries aren’t paying what they’re supposed to be paying, which I think is very unfair to the United States. With that being said, Nato is very important to me." When asked if the U.S. would continue to help defend Europe from potential threats, Trump said, "Yeah, I feel very strongly toward Europe — very strongly toward Europe, yes."^[10]

During his trip to NATO headquarters in February 2017, Secretary of Defense James Mattis sought to reassure NATO members of Trump's support, saying, "The alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States and for all the transatlantic community, bonded as we are together. As President Trump has stated, he has strong support for NATO."^[11]

Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence also called on NATO members to keep their commitment to the alliance by spending two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, as they agreed to during the Wales Summit in 2014. Pence said, "As Secretary of Defense James Mattis said here in Belgium just a few short days ago, if you’re a nation that meets the 2 percent target, we need your help encouraging other nations to do likewise. If you have a plan to get there, as he said, our alliance needs you to accelerate it. And if you don’t yet have a plan, these are my words not his: Get one. It is time for actions, not words."^[12]

According to a July 2016 report released by NATO, of the 28 member states, five—the United States, Greece, the United Kingdom, Estonia, and Poland—met the alliance's defense spending target of two percent of GDP. The U.S. contributed $650 billion, 70 percent of the alliance's $950 billion. The United Kingdom followed the U.S. with $60 billion.^[13]

Have previous administrations called on NATO members to increase spending on defense?[edit]

Yes. Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama (D), and previous defense secretaries criticized members of the alliance for not paying their share of defense spending.

• In November 2016, Obama said, “I want to take this opportunity to commend Greece for being one of the five NATO allies that spends 2 percent of GDP on defense, a goal that we have consistently set but not everybody has met. Greece has done this even during difficult economic times. If Greece can meet this NATO commitment, all our NATO allies should be able to do so.” The statement echoed comments he made in April 2016 when he said, “Free riders aggravate me." Obama was speaking about European countries not meeting the commitment of spending at least two percent of its GDP on defense and failing to take the lead in the global fight against terrorism.^[14][15]

• In October 2011, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, “NATO nations need to send a strong signal of our determination not to hollow out this alliance. We need to use this moment to make the case for the need to invest in this alliance to ensure it remains relevant to the security challenges of the future. ... With the fall of the Qaddafi regime, our nations saw an example of why NATO matters and why NATO remains indispensable in confronting the security challenges of today. We need to use this moment to make the case for the need to invest in this alliance, to ensure it remains relevant to the security challenges of the future.”^[16]

• In June 2011, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, “The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress — and in the American body politic writ large — to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense.” He said that unless members increased their participation in NATO's activities and their defense spending, the alliance faced “a dim if not dismal future." He also said that there was a two-tiered membership structure, “between those willing and able to pay the price and bear the burdens of commitments, and those who enjoy the benefits of NATO membership but don’t want to share the risks and the costs.” He added that some were “apparently willing and eager for American taxpayers to assume the growing security burden left by reductions in European defense budgets.”^[17]

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See also[edit]

• Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs
• Mike Pence vice presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

Footnotes[edit]

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