In tweets published on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump insisted that he had a productive meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But then he said that Germany owes money to NATO.
Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017
…vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017
Since the campaign, Trump has complained that other NATO members do not pay their fair share. NATO countries are asked to contribute 2 percent of their GDP to the alliance’s defense spending. Germany pays about 1.2 percent of its GDP, while the U.S. pays more than 3 percent of its GDP.
During their meetings on Friday, Trump reportedly pushed Merkel on NATO defense spending.