Trump lashes out at ‘laggard’ NATO ally as he issues thinly-veiled ‘throw them out’ threat | World | News

Donald Trump singled out a NATO member at a high-profile White House meeting. Hosting Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the White House, the US President touched on a number of issues, including the ceasefire agreement for Gaza and defense.

Speaking about NATO and a proposal to commit members of the military alliance to a 5% spending target, Trump singled out Spain, a member that had previously rejected those plans.

“We have a very good relationship [with NATO]. As you know, I requested that they pay 5 percent, not 2 percent. Most people thought it wouldn’t happen, but it did happen almost unanimously, with only one left, and that was Spain. Spain. You should call them and find out why,” Trump said.

He continued: “They’re doing well too, you know, probably because of a lot of the things we’ve done. They’re doing well. They have no excuse not to do it, but that’s okay. Maybe you should kick them out of NATO.”

Earlier this year, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez rejected a NATO proposal that member states increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP, saying the idea was “not only unreasonable but would be counterproductive.”

The proposal was put forward by NATO secretary general Mark Rutte in response to Donald Trump’s demands for a 5 percent target. He proposed that member states agree to increase defense spending to 3.5 percent of their GDP and commit 1.5 percent more to broader security spending.

Reacting to the proposal, Sánchez said: “Sticking to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would push Spain further away from optimal spending and hinder the EU’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem.

“It is the legitimate right of every government to decide whether they are willing to make these sacrifices. As a sovereign ally, we choose not to.”

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