LILLEY: Donald Trump still finds reasons to grumble despite big win at NATO summit
· Toronto Sun
Donald Trump’s victory in pushing NATO allies to increase defence spending was on full display in Turkey this week, though it did little to improve his mood.
The U.S. president blasted Spain for not pulling its weight and suggested he wanted to halt trade with the country until things improved.
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Meanwhile, the summit communique pointed to a collective increase of $139 billion in defence spending by European nations and Canada in 2025. The call by Trump — and by every other U.S. president back to Dwight Eisenhower — for NATO allies to pay their fair share is finally being answered.
“It’s not just that he’s winning the argument — he’s won the argument,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters.
“Countries realize they need to take more responsibility. They see the direct threats.”
Carney said those threats have changed significantly in recent years, pointing to the opening of the Arctic and an increasingly aggressive Russia.
“Arctic security is not a flank, it’s a front,” he said, describing Russia as a direct adversary.
Longstanding NATO complaint gains traction
While in Turkey, Carney made another defence spending announcement, pledging $800 million for a new missile system for Canada’s fighter jet fleet. The announcement came just days after he revealed that the German-Norwegian bid to build a new submarine fleet had been selected.
Trump has long called on NATO members to spend more on their own defence, arguing that the U.S. was effectively subsidizing the defence of Europe and Canada while those countries devoted more resources to social programs.
He isn’t the first U.S. president to complain about low defence spending.
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Frustration shared by presidents from Kennedy to Obama
In 1963, John F. Kennedy said the U.S. “cannot continue to pay for the military protection of Europe while the NATO states are not paying their fair share.”
At the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, George W. Bush encouraged “European partners to increase their defence investments to support both NATO and EU operations.”
Famously during a 2016 speech to the House of Commons in Ottawa, Barack Obama delivered a similar message.
“As your ally and as your friend, let me say that we will be more secure when every NATO member, including Canada, contributes its full share to our common security because the Canadian Armed Forces are really good and, if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs more Canada. NATO needs more Canada. We need you,” Obama said.
None of those presidents succeeded in getting NATO allies to meaningfully boost spending. Not even Trump managed it during his first term. Now, however, nearly every NATO member has committed to increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP.
Major victory couldn’t lift Trump’s mood
Not that the breakthrough seemed to improve Trump’s mood at the summit.
Despite Carney saying he found Trump in good spirits, the president’s public comments ahead of Wednesday’s meeting suggested otherwise.
“I’m not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland and I’m not happy with NATO because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the No. 1 state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran ,” Trump said.
Trump has taken issue with several NATO countries for not backing his campaign against Iran, particularly France, Italy and Spain. On Wednesday, he reserved special criticism for Spain.
“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate. They don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain,” Trump said.
Yet by the end of the meeting, Trump was striking a very different tone. He said the room was filled with love and described the other leaders as smart people and good partners.
The irony of the summit was hard to miss: Trump won the argument on defence spending, yet seemed determined not to enjoy the victory.