In a press conference during his visit to Europe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called on the United States’ European allies to do more to “make NATO great again.”
As the United States has basically kept NATO afloat when it comes to finances and military might, conservatives are sick and tired of letting them get away with the bare minimum while relying on the U.S. for everything else.
AMERICA PAID 68% OF NATO'S DEFENSE BILL
The top 10 spenders are as follows:
2023E (million USD)
U.S. – 860,000
Germany – 68,080
UK – 65,763
France – 56,649
Italy – 31,585
Poland – 29,105
Canada – 28,950
Spain – 19,179
Netherlands – 16,741Source: Voronoi, Visual… pic.twitter.com/7zA8A498G5
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 27, 2024
Hegseth commented on this during a press conference after meeting with NATO ministers in Brussels, Belgium — pointing out that European countries needed to put in their fair share to help the transatlantic alliance “endure for the future.”
The defense secretary told reporters that President Donald Trump had given him a “clear mission: achieve peace through strength, as well as put America first, our people, our taxpayers, our borders, and our security. We are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”
Hegseth went on to note that “NATO should pursue these goals as well. NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense. We must make NATO great again.”
“It begins with defense spending, but must also include reviving the transatlantic defense industrial base, rapidly fielding emerging technologies, prioritizing readiness and lethality and establishing real deterrence,” he added.
Hegseth also pointed out that former President Dwight D. Eisenhower had been “one of NATO’s strongest supporters,” believing that the U.S. should have a “strong relationship with Europe” — but he had been concerned by the end of his presidency that “Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense,” something that conservatives have been calling out for some time.
He noted that NATO had been “making, in Eisenhower’s words, ‘a sucker out of Uncle Sam.’”
“Well, like President Eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances. But make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker,” Hegseth concluded.
Pete Hegseth: "We must make NATO great again." pic.twitter.com/3xfvhSwUon
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 13, 2025
