In a 'yuge' victory for the new administration, after spending less than 100 days in office no less, Trump has apparently managed to solve the issue of NATO's obsolescence after just declaring in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg that "I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete."
"The Secretary General and I had a productive discussion about what more NATO could do in the fight against terrorism. I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change. And now they do fight terrorism. I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete."
At a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump said that he will continue to work closely with NATO allies, particularly when it comes to fighting terrorism.
During the 2016 campaign and after his election, Trump frequently criticized NATO as “obsolete” and knocked allies for not paying their “fair share.” At Wednesday’s press conference, Trump reiterated his call that NATO allies “meet their financial obligations and pay what they owe.”
He said he discussed with Stoltenberg his desire that allies fulfill their responsibility to spent 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024, which is basically what former President Obama also demanded from NATO for much of his tenure.
And with that, Trump is one more major policy reversal closer to becoming just another mainstream politician.
"(NATO) is no longer obsolete." pic.twitter.com/FwLu67097G
— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) April 12, 2017