Federalist Wire:
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President Donald Trump’s steadfast pressure on NATO allies has yielded a historic commitment to more than double their defense-spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035, a move that bolsters the alliance’s deterrence against threats like Russia’s aggression.
At the recent NATO Summit, Trump’s affirmation of U.S. commitment to Article 5—the mutual-defense clause—reassured allies, with the president declaring, “I stand with it, that’s why I’m here. If I didn’t stand with it, I wouldn’t be here.”
His leadership, praised as high praise from a president who called NATO “not a rip-off,” has galvanized European nations to take their security seriously, ensuring a stronger, more unified alliance.
Trump’s approach, blending relentless advocacy with a clear-eyed focus on U.S. interests, has shifted NATO’s trajectory.
His insistence that allies meet their obligations—coupled with the stark reality of Russia’s war in Ukraine and recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities—has driven 23 of 32 NATO members to meet the prior 2% GDP spending target by 2024, up from just six in 2021.
Trump’s vision of “peace through strength” has made it clear that America’s support hinges on shared responsibility, a message that resonates as NATO faces a volatile global landscape.
The new 5% spending target, with 1.5% allocated for defense-related infrastructure, reflects Trump’s influence in pushing allies to prioritize their own defense.
Countries like Poland (4.7% this year) and Estonia (5.4% by 2029) are leading the charge, while Germany, once a laggard, is ramping up to 3.5% by decade’s end under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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NATO should have been doing this without prompting from Trump. They are the ones in the line of fire from an expansionist Russia. Poland and Estonia, which have both been under the Russians' thumbs in the past, appear to get the threat much better than Germany, half of which was under Russian domination during the Cold War.
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