On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” British Ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner praised “President Trump’s leadership on demanding the burden-sharing of Europe on NATO.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “You heard the President bringing up NATO in a now-familiar refrain of his, badmouthing NATO, badmouthing the alliance, which includes the U.K. — I don’t need to remind you — saying, now, countries in NATO are offering to help when it comes to keeping the Strait of Hormuz safe for unfettered travel. He said, I don’t want your help. We had an expert — former deputy national intelligence director — telling us that that’s unwise, that the U.S. does need NATO’s help. First of all, what was your response when he brought up NATO, and the crowd started booing? Because that’s — that doesn’t come out of nowhere. That comes from President Trump expressing concerns, and, frankly, trashing NATO and the alliance for years and years. What’s your response when you hear Americans booing NATO?”
Turner answered, “Well, look, first of all, I think — I’ll say something that you might not expect me to, which is to praise President Trump’s leadership on demanding the burden-sharing of Europe on NATO.”
Tapper then cut in to say, “No. I’m actually used to Europeans doing that, because it’s true. It’s an achievement of his. Absolutely.”
Turner responded, “You’re exactly right. And it was a fair challenge. And the response, since I sat right behind him in the NATO Council Chamber in, I think it was 2018, when he first made that challenge, we have now seen a doubling of European spend on NATO since 2014 for European procurement. So, our buying of weapons, for the first time since the Second World War, is more than America. That might worry [the] American arms industry. But we are now producing and procuring more weapons in Europe. For the U.K.’s part, we’re on a track to 3.5% by 2035, 5% in total is the collective pledge at the Hague summit. So, the President has driven that.”
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