NATO Braces for Trump Visit, But Fears May Be Overplayed
*By Alisha Haridasani*
President Donald Trump will head to Brussels this week where U.S. allies are bracing themselves for what could be an unpredictable NATO summit.
Member countries are worried that Trump will spurn them and threaten to unravel the organization, their fears stemming from the G7 meeting last month. Trump left that meeting without signing the joint statement from the seven nations and antagonizing important U.S. allies, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
But his trip to Brussels may end up being less controversial, said Dan Michaels, the Wall Street Journal Brussels bureau chief.
Trump has described NATO as “obsolete” on the campaign trail and, since taking office, has pressured the alliance to rebalance the amount of money that member nations pay.
“The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other country,” the president tweeted on Monday, a day before the summit's kick-off. “This is unfair, nor is is acceptable.”
NATO members are all expected to contribute to defense spending, with an official target of 2 percent of their GDP. However, many members pitch in far less than that figure, while the U.S. puts in more than 3 percent of its GDP.
The organization has in recent years been cleaning up in its act, a strategy that the group will likely tout at the summit to appease Trump.
Eight members are expected to hit the 2 percent spending target by the end of this year, and the organization has steadily increased the number of deployable troops, according to Michaels’ [reporting](https://www.wsj.com/articles/nato-under-fire-from-trump-to-trumpet-its-heightened-readiness-1530890798).
And despite Trump’s outward rhetoric, the U.S. contribution hasn’t gone down, suggesting that nervousness around the summit may be overplayed, said Michaels.
“The U.S. continues to be, by far, the biggest participant in NATO,” he said, adding that the Pentagon has, in fact, “significantly increased defense spending in Europe.”
Additionally, the communique that emerges from NATO is more detailed than the broad statement that came out of the G7, which increases the likelihood that Trump will sign off on it, said Michaels.
“A NATO communique is a much more technical document,” he said. “It’s not, sort of, a policy statement or, as one person described it, a press release. It’s very nuts and bolts.”
Another point of concern for NATO allies is Trump’s planned meeting with Russian President Putin immediately after the summit in Brussels, drawing parallels with Trump’s post-G7 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
NATO, which was founded soon after World War II to counter the influence of the Soviet Union, officially suspended all cooperation with Russia after Putin seized Crimea in 2014.
But, given a general wariness towards Russia among American voters and Congressional lawmakers, Trump is unlikely to concede too much to Putin, said Michaels.
“Continuing the U.S. role in countering Russia, I think, remains something that most Americans support…[ They ] feel it is important for the United States to have a robust presence in Europe militarily.”
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/will-nato-survive-trump)
Sports Betting in the U.S. is booming. According to industry experts, we could see another boom this year as more states move towards statewide legalization of sports wagering. While this comes as huge news for fans, there are some very real concerns as to whether or not sports betting potentially poses a threat to public health. Senior Clinician at the Caron Treatment Centers, Eric Webber, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Biden administration has made gender policy a core part of how it governs. The president established the first Gender Policy Council. It's on the same level as the National Security Council, Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council, putting the interests of women and other underserved groups at the table for the most important policy discussions.
Cheddar News sat down with Jennifer Klein, executive director and co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council, to discuss the council's work and its significance during Women's History Month.
State Representative Jessica González, Vice Chair of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, joins Cheddar News to discuss the latest Texas anti-transgender directive.
The United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack joins None of the Above to discuss the newly emerging conflict in Europe, what it means for agriculture in the states, dairy and meat consumption, and how the department is planning to promote climate-smart agriculture.
Tens of thousands of people have fled Ukraine in attempts to escape the Russian Invasion. According to the U.N. neighboring countries like Poland, Hungary, and even Romania have seen half a million refugees. While the hospitality is being welcomed by many, it also highlights the mistreatment of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Professor of Philosophy and Director of Politics at Northeastern University Serena Parekh, joined Cheddar, to discuss more.
As Russia unleashed war in the country of Ukraine, global leaders have started inflicting punishment on Vladimir Putin's regime via commercial and financial penalties. According to President Joe Biden Putin's aggression is "a flagrant violation of international law and it demands a firm response from the international community".However, the main question is will these sanctions actually work. Partner at Jenner & Block LLP, Rachel Alpert, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
A Gallup poll finds that now 7.1% of American adults identify as LGBTQ, jumping from 3.5% in 2012. The increase is driven by Generation-Z – those born between 1997 and 2003 – of whom one out of five identify as LGBTQ. Cheddar News speaks with Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson about the significant shift.
As the Biden administration continues to see the potential for an imminent invasion of Ukraine after contradictory reports of a Russian troop pullback or buildup, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, joined Cheddar News to give his insight into the tense situation. "When I was in Ukraine a couple of weeks ago and we were talking with the Ukrainian leadership with President Zelensky, they said we ought to approach Vladimir Putin as though he was a poker player," he said. "So this could be one of those head fakes where he's saying one thing and doing another thing."
The Biden Administration has now issued new guidelines when it comes to carbon capture. The new guidelines handed down this week encouraged the widespread use of climate attacks that traps and stores carbon emissions. The goal here is the process would help keep carbon out of the atmosphere without requiring a whole lot of change by big companies and manufacturing plants. Several scientists say that this method would be crucial to help us decrease the use of carbon emissions by the year 2050. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, Mark Jacobson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
