The surest way for NATO to “Trump-proof” itself is to address former President Donald Trump’s primary complaint about the defense alliance.
Namely, for every member to increase defense spending at greater speed so that every ally meets the 2%-of-GDP minimum defense budget target. Trump has repeatedly said that too many of NATO’s 31 other members are freeloading off the United States and that they are doing so even as Russia’s territorial threat to Europe is obviously more significant than its threat to the U.S. Trump’s contention is accurate, even if his delivery is overly simplistic. Top Trump allies such as Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) have also firmly but politely made this case. The problem isn’t that Trump-proofing is complicated, simply that it can’t be done on the cheap.
