White House press secretary Sean Spicer disputed the characterization of Angela Merkel’s comments in Munich this weekend that Europe could no longer fully rely on the United States and the United Kingdom, instead calling it a reflection of President Trump’s influence.
Merkel said Sunday in Munich, “The times when we could fully rely on others are to some extent over — I experienced that in the last few days.
“We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands. Of course we need to have friendly relations with the U.S. and with the U.K. and with other neighbors, including Russia. We have to fight for our own future ourselves.”
Trump’s critics took that to mean the Germans and other European allies no longer see the United States as a reliable ally. Spicer said Tuesday that’s not the case.
“That’s great. That’s what the president called for,” Spicer said. “He called for additional burden sharing. The secretary general of NATO said that the president’s calls are what is moving them in the right direction.”
Trump’s meetings with NATO and the G-7 last week were portrayed in a favorable light by administration officials, but headlines out of Europe showed there were some conflicts between Trump and other world leaders. The German foreign minister said Trump’s actions are making the West “weaker,” and other stories included a contentious handshake during a first meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Spicer said the reality is that Merkel’s realization that Europe needs to protect itself instead of having the United States do it for them is ultimately a good thing.
“That is a good thing for them, it’s a good thing for NATO and it’s a good thing for America,” he said.
