Republican Rep. Pete King of New York has come out in support of President Donald Trump’s tough talk as he addressed NATO at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday.
In his speech, Trump called out the 23 out of 28 NATO members who are not paying their dues, which are 2 percent of their GDP. Only the U.S., Greece, Great Britain, Estonia and Poland are current on their obligations.
While Trump spoke, some European leaders looked embarrassed and annoyed by his remarks, King said in a statement.
"They should be embarrassed," he added. "It’s about time we had a President who lays it on the line. NATO is essential to the security of the United States, Europe and Canada. But the reality is that NATO is not the fighting machine that it should be."
King pointed to the NATO battle against Serbian forces in Kosovo in 1999 as evidence that the U.S. has borne a disproportionate burden for many years. "Not only is it unfair," King said, "it weakens NATO’s effectiveness."
"Americans should be proud to have a President who asserts leadership on the world stage," King continued. "What is so disappointing—but not unexpected—is the smug, antiTrump, elitist echo chamber response from so many in the media and the foreign policy establishment."
In his remarks, Trump said, "the NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATO’s eastern and southern borders."
King called on all NATO countries to recommit to a stronger NATO as Trump has done.
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