NATO members have been slacking off for a long time. The U.S. has shouldered most of the expense for years. Politicians assumed that’s the way it had to be. NATO exists; the U.S. pays the bills.
Until President Trump came into office. Trump destroyed tradition and questioned NATO’s utility. He pressured members to do their part and increase their defense spending.
The tactic worked.
France, the last holdout, folded. NATO will increase its counterterrorism funding by an additional $12 to $24 million next year.
Liberals criticized Trump for his brash, direct ways but that’s because they’d grown used to soft-spoken Obama. The former president was the ultimate politician. He never wanted to rock the boat. His opinion regarding NATO was whatever it was expected to be.
Trump had the courage to defy convention and bring NATO members to task. Rich countries like Germany were coasting along on the strength of the U.S.’s protection. Berlin can afford the socialism that liberals like so much because they don’t have to pay very much for their defense.
Unlike his predecessor, Trump cares about America first and foremost.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)