US election: NATO Secretary General is calm after Trump’s election victory

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sees no reason why the USA should withdraw from the defense alliance during Donald Trump’s second presidency. “Through NATO, the United States has 31 friends and allies who help promote U.S. interests, multiply American power and ensure American security,” the former Dutch head of government said after the Republican’s election victory.

Together, the allies represented half of the world’s economic and military strength. Cooperation in NATO helps to deter aggression, protect collective security and support the economy.

Reflecting on Trump’s first term in office, Rutte said they represented a turning point in defense spending in Europe, improved transatlantic burden-sharing and strengthened the alliance’s capabilities. When Trump comes back into office on January 20th, he will find a stronger, larger and more united alliance. “Two-thirds of the allies now spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense and defense spending and production continue to rise across the alliance,” emphasized Rutte, referring to NATO’s two percent target.

In the defense alliance, most member states would have preferred an election victory for Kamala Harris. Trump’s statements in the past had raised doubts about whether the United States would fully commit to providing assistance under his leadership. During his term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump had repeatedly complained about what he considered to be too low defense spending by European allies and at times even threatened that the USA would leave the alliance.