NATO SPENDING
Trump said NATO members should spend 5 per cent of their gross domestic product on defense, a significant increase from the current 2 per cent target.
“I think NATO should have 5 per cent,” he said. “They can all afford it, but they should be at 5 per cent, not 2 per cent.”
Trump has frequently complained that most NATO members are not paying their fair share, and he floated demanding an increase in NATO defense contributions during the campaign.
NATO estimated that 23 of its 32 members would meet its goal of spending 2 per cent of GDP in 2024.
None of the alliance members, including the US, currently spends 5 per cent of GDP on defense, according to NATO figures. Poland is the highest spender in GDP terms at 4.12 per cent, followed by Estonia at 3.43 per cent and the United States at 3.38 per cent.
Trump also repeated his threat that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if Palestinian Hamas militants do not release by the time he takes office hostages it abducted from Israel on Oct 7, 2023, and still hold in the Gaza Strip.
“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” he said.
His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told reporters he hopes to have good things to report on negotiations between Israel and Hamas by the time Trump is sworn into office.
FAMILIAR GRIEVANCES
The free-wheeling, hour-long press conference, Trump’s second since his victory, echoed similar events during his presidential campaign.
He aired a series of familiar grievances about his criminal indictments, including attacking Justice Juan Merchan, the New York judge who is scheduled to sentence Trump on Friday for falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to a porn star.
A New York appeals court denied his latest bid to halt the sentencing shortly after his press conference ended.
Separately, as Trump was speaking, a US judge temporarily blocked Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on his investigations into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The judge, Aileen Cannon, had previously dismissed the case charging Trump with illegally retaining classified materials after leaving office.
Tuesday’s event took place in the ornate living room at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach resort. Several of Trump’s senior advisers watched the proceedings, while club guests could be seen outside dining on the terrace.
Trump was also asked whether it was appropriate for Elon Musk to publicly weigh in on foreign affairs. In recent weeks, the billionaire Trump ally has used his X platform to comment on European politics, including expressing support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany.
“I can say Elon is doing a good job, very smart guy,” Trump said. “I don’t know the people you’re talking about.”
