Despite reports that President Donald Trump outright threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO over allies’ defense spending, Trump told reporters on Thursday that the group is “more put together” and “coordinated” than it has ever been.
“NATO is more put together right now, is more coordinated and I think there is a better spirit for NATO right now than perhaps they’ve ever had,” he said at an unplanned press conference Thursday. “It’s richer than it ever was, the commitments are made at a higher level than they’ve ever been made and the money to paid out faster, far faster. … This was a fantastic two days, this was a really fantastic — it all came together in the end.”
He said the meetings may have been “tough for a little while,” but said NATO leaders ultimately are “really liking what happened in the last two day.”
Politico, CNN and several other news outlets reported Thursday that behind closed doors Trump threatened that the U.S. would “do our own thing” if allies refused to increase defense spending.
Despite threatening in private to pull the U.S. out of NATO, Trump brags to reporters that the group of allies is "more put together" than it has ever been. pic.twitter.com/lEqDQRmJ8r
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 12, 2018
