“Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path,” he said late Thursday, doubling down on his long-argued criticism of allied nations’ defense spending ahead of next week’s planned NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Earlier, the President had complained that the U.S. “spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit.” Seemingly citing figures from NATO’s defence expenditure data in 2025, he compared the “$999 billion” spent by the U.S. to the “$44.3 billion” put forward by Poland. [NATO's 2025 estimate for U.S. spending is $980 billion.] “Others, including Germany, are much lower,” Trump insisted.
"Germany is doubling its defense budget within four years. This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defense capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone," he told reporters.
NATO defense spending has long been a contentious issue for Trump who has, since his first term, accused European allies of not investing enough in their own militaries and relying too heavily on U.S. contributions and protections.
Trump celebrated the announcement, marking it as a win for the U.S., but he has since raised concerns that some members aren’t on course to meet the target.
The U.S. President has repeatedly lambasted European countries for failing to get actively involved in the Iran war. He revived those criticisms on Thursday, arguing: “They were not there for us.”
At the height of the friction, Trump threatened to withdraw from the alliance—a move experts told TIME would have serious, far-reaching consequences.
In the Oval Office, Rutte referred to Trump's military intervention in Iran as “extremely important” and presented large printed charts illustrating how much allies have increased defense spending since Trump’s first term in office in 2017.
The outreach, however, appeared to do little to soften Trump's criticism of the alliance.
The review, which could last up to six months, “will examine America's force posture and basing in Europe” and will include consultations with the U.S. Congress.
It’s unclear if the review will lead to the further withdrawal of troops.
A NATO official told TIME on Friday that European allies have responded swiftly to the move.
O’Donnell added that in the areas where this has not yet been possible, the alliance is “looking at alternate capabilities with matching effect.”
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