In letters to NATO allies, Trump demands more defense spending

Angela Merkel and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

In June, President Trump sent strongly worded letters to the leaders of several NATO countries, calling on them to increase their defense spending before the United States runs out of patience.

Trump sent letters to Canada, Norway, Belgium, and Germany, and a person who saw the note to German Chancellor Angela Merkel told The New York Times Trump wrote there is "a growing frustration in the United States that some allies have not stepped up as promised. Continued German underspending on defense undermines the security of the alliance and provides validation for other allies that also do not plan to meet their military spending commitments, because others see you as a role model."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.