Seven Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee are calling on President Trump to explicitly endorse NATO’s mutual defense clause after he declined to do so during a speech last month.

“We call on you to commit explicitly to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty,” the Democrats wrote in a letter to Trump released Friday.



“It is not enough to speak to our NATO allies generally of ‘the commitments that bind us together as one’ or note that ‘we will never forsake the friends who stood by our side.’ Each president since the treaty’s signing has endorsed Article 5, and we call on you to do the same.”

The letter was organized by the Armed Service Committee's ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith David (Adam) Adam Smith40 groups call on House panel to investigate Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds When 'Buy American' and common sense collide Overnight Defense: Marine Corps brushes off criticism of Marines' appearance in GOP convention video | US troops injured in collision with Russian vehicle in Syria | Dems ask for probe of Vindman retaliation allegations MORE (Wash.), and co-signed by Democratic Reps. Joe Courtney (Conn.), Niki Tsongas (Mass.), Beto O’Rourke (Texas), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Seth Moulton (Mass.) and Stephanie Murphy (Fla.).

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Trump attended his first NATO meeting May 25. During his speech, Trump scolded allies for not paying enough for their defense. He also did not explicitly endorse Article 5, which says an attack on one ally is an attack on all, despite such an affirmation reportedly being part of his written speech.

The omission was even more glaring because his speech was delivered at the dedication of a memorial to the only time NATO has ever invoked Article 5 — after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

Still, Trump said in the speech that the memorial is a reminder of “what forever endures,” including “the commitments that bind us together as one.”

“We will never forsake the friends who stood by our side,” he added.

Top administration officials, including Vice President Pence, have since said the United States is committed to Article 5.

In their letter, the Democrats said that’s not good enough.

“While it is important that senior officials such as the vice president, secretary of State and secretary of Defense reiterate that commitment, explicit endorsement — and the absence of an endorsement — by our commander in chief has meaning,” they wrote.

Trump’s silence, they wrote, could be spun into a “dangerous narrative” about U.S. commitment in the event of an attack, helping U.S. adversaries.

“Your explicit and immediate endorsement of Article 5 is a national security imperative,” they concluded. “The European security environment has significantly evolved, and deterring Russian aggression is as important now as it has ever been.”