U.S. President Trump’s Stance on NATO Spending

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he is uncertain about the necessity for the United States to spend on NATO, arguing that while the U.S. is protecting NATO members, they are “not protecting us.”

Earlier, Trump demanded that other members of the transatlantic alliance increase their defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP), a significant rise from the current 2% goal, which no NATO country, including the United States, presently meets.

“I’m not sure we should be spending anything, but we should certainly be helping them,” Trump told reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office. “We’re protecting them. They’re not protecting us.”

“They should up their 2% to 5%,” he reiterated, echoing his earlier remarks made during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.