After repeatedly calling NATO 'obsolete' during the 2016 campaign cycle, President Trump will be joined shortly by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for their first joint press briefing. Trump is expected to discuss America’s "100% commitment" to the alliance but is also expected to reiterate his calls for all NATO member states to increase military spending to 2% of their economic output to strengthen the alliance’s long-term capabilities and reduce the economic burdens on the Unites States. The Express reported earlier on comments made by a White House official regarding today's meeting:
“The President will also highlight the importance of NATO allies taking on their fair share of the burden of the collective defense of the North Atlantic region,” the official said.
"In that connection, we expect the President and Secretary General to discuss how they can work with other NATO allies to increase defense budgets in line with the 2014 Wales pledge on defense investment.”
The 2014 Wales pledge called for NATO member states to put forward 2 per cent of their GDP’s to defence spending.
The White House official added: “And so the President and Secretary General are likely to see eye-to-eye on that issue and talk about ways that they can cooperate together to work with allies to get defense spending up.”
“I can’t speak for what’s in the President’s mind right now, but the President has made it very clear repeatedly that he’s 100 percent committed to NATO,” the official said.
“He has met already with several leader of NATO-allied countries – the UK, Germany, the Prime Minister of Denmark last week.
“He’s made over a dozen calls to leaders of NATO-allied countries and emphasized to all of them that he’s 100 percent committed to the Alliance.”
With that intro, the full press briefing can be viewed live below: