Trump reverses on NATO: ‘It’s no longer obsolete’

Standing alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Donald Trump reversed his position Wednesday on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“I said it was obsolete,” Trump recalled during a joint news conference at the White House. “It’s no longer obsolete.”


Trump repeatedly called the alliance obsolete as a presidential candidate, at one point going so far as to suggest he wouldn’t defend NATO allies under attack unless they paid their fair share in defense spending.

Nevertheless, a senior White House official indicated Wednesday morning that Trump’s conversation with Stoltenberg wouldn’t be “awkward” despite the president’s past comments.

Trump told reporters in his opening statement that the two leaders agreed that NATO members should contribute 2 percent of national GDP for defense and that they also discussed terrorism.

Breaking News Alerts Get breaking news when it happens — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

“If other countries pay their fair share instead of relying on the United States to make up the difference, we will all be much more secure, and our partnership will be made that much stronger,” Trump said. “The secretary general and I had a productive discussion about what more NATO can do in the fight against terrorism. I complained about that a long time ago, and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism.”

Trump’s claim about NATO changing its role, however, is a false statement he also made as a candidate. PolitiFact rated that claim “false,” writing that Trump was referring to the creation of a senior NATO post for coordinating intelligence sharing, which the fact-checking organization noted at the time was “just the most recent incremental change in how the alliance handles counter-terrorism.”

Asked about Trump’s about-face on NATO later Wednesday on CNN, Stoltenberg told anchor Wolf Blitzer that he was “happy” the president shifted his stance on whether the alliance was “obsolete,” casting it as a reflection of NATO’s ability to adapt over the years.

Stoltenberg also brushed past Trump’s past criticisms, stressing that his comments in an official diplomatic capacity at the White House on Wednesday were what mattered.

“The important thing for me – it’s important that he has clearly stated today that he doesn’t regard NATO as obsolete,” the NATO leader said. “But second I think that it’s good he has been focused on how NATO can change and adapt and respond to different security [matters].”

Pressed on whether he trusted Trump’s word, despite his reversal, Stoltenberg said he supported the president’s message and commitment to the alliance.

“I welcome his very strong message on defense spending, on burden sharing, and on NATO’s role in fighting terrorism, that we have to step up and do more and these are issues we discussed today,” he said.

Stoltenberg added: “I trust his very strong commitment to NATO, of course, because he has shown in not only in words but in deeds.”