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)
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H. 2nd District) joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to reflect on the January 6 insurrection and her personal experience in the Capitol when rioters attempted to overtake the House chamber. "What I now understand to be true is that the mob of rioters had reached the third floor and was literally in the hallway running toward us as we ducked into the elevator," she told Cheddar. Kuster recalled the fear she felt, wondering what might have happened if the insurrectionists crossed paths with her group. Kuster noted that she has since received therapy to help cope with the traumatic event. "A thousand acts of courage saved our life and saved our democracy," she said.
Andy Kroll, Washington bureau chief at Rolling Stone, joined Cheddar's Baker Machado to discuss the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection and how it could impact upcoming elections. Kroll talked about whether or not Trump's influence will aid Republicans in the midterms and how it could be a setup for the former president to run in the 2024 presidential election. "This day has become really almost a kind of cause for Republican base voters," he said. "And you're going to see that fueling some turnout, you're going to see that fueling, even, candidates running for office in these midterm elections."
According to a recent analysis from ProPublica and the Wall Street Journal an analysis of Facebook posts, internal company documents, and interviews reveal key evidence about the social media giant's role in January 6 insurrection. National Reporter at ProPublica Craig Silverman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services for two weeks after Airlines for America, a lobbying group that represents American, Delta, and other airlines, filed a petition last week with the FCC to stop the deployment of 5G in the U.S. over concerns that the network can interfere with certain systems on airplanes. President Biden spoke out about it, saying it would avoid further delays and cancellations of flights. Light Reading 5G and Mobile Strategies Director Mike Dano joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
On a day where the Dow and Russell 2000 each closed more than 3% lower, Melissa Armo, founder and owner of The Stock Swoosh, says Wednesday's big sell-off could extend into after-hours trading. She joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
The new year has just gotten underway, but the clock is already ticking for the Democratic-led Congress to pass bills regulating big tech. Evan Greer, Director for Fight For the Future, joins Cheddar News to explain why Democratic lawmakers would want to push legislation now, and what a Republican takeover would mean for the industry.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
After the Chicago teachers union voted to work remotely due to what they say is a lack of safety protocols amid the COVID-19 surge, the school system canceled classes on Wednesday, citing harm that remote learning has done to the city's children. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined Cheddar to discuss the issues surrounding the latest dispute between educators and schools. She said that the return to in-person learning would likely be halted until more COVID tests could be provided for districts. "This is a terrible situation for everybody, and we need the testing, and we need the masks," she said. "It's the omicron surge that has created this disruption, and we are trying to do the best we can. And this is the only school district that has this kind of action right now." The teachers might not be returning to their schools for at least two weeks amid the ongoing tensions.
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick joins Cheddar News to discuss the new bill he co-sponsored allowing students in the state to take 5 mental health days without a doctor's note.
