British PM: Trump confirmed he is ‘100 percent behind NATO’

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Friday that President Donald Trump assured her during their White House meeting that he is “100 percent behind NATO.”

“On defense and security cooperation, we’re united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense, and today we've reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance,” May said in her introductory remarks at a joint news conference with the two leaders. “Mr. President, I think you said, you confirmed that you’re 100 percent behind NATO,” she added, turning to face Trump as she spoke.


Trump has repeatedly called into question America’s commitment to NATO, suggesting that other nations who are party to the treaty have not sufficiently carried their own weight, leaving much of the work to the U.S. Over the summer, Trump said the U.S. might not automatically fulfill its obligation to defend other NATO countries, suggesting instead that that determination would be based instead on whether those nations have “fulfilled their obligations to us.”

Trump has also called NATO “obsolete” and suggested that "it's possible that we're going to have to let NATO go.” He complained that the post-war mutual defense treaty was ill-equipped to face modern threats like terrorism.

As part of their obligations to NATO, party nations are required to spend at least 2 percent of the gross domestic product on defense, a promise May said she would urge her fellow European leaders to make good on.

“We're also discussing the importance of NATO continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of war,” May said. “I've agreed to continue my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense so that the burden is more fairly shared. It’s only by investing properly in our defense that we can ensure we’re properly equipped to face our shared challenges together.”