Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on “Raging Moderates” Friday that she was genuinely heartened by President Donald Trump’s dealings with NATO during recent months of his second term.
NATO members agreed in June to boost their defense spending from 2% of gross domestic product to 5% by 2035 after Trump pressured them and the president made a deal in July to get NATO to pay for U.S. weapons for Ukraine. Clinton said on the podcast that these moves were positive indicators of improving “common ground” between the Trump administration and the leadership of America’s European allies.
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“I actually was encouraged by the events of the last several months. First of all, the NATO commitment by individual member states to increase their defense spending is very welcome. It’s something that prior administrations have certainly sought,” Clinton said. “And I think it’s great that we are seeing these commitments that now have to be followed through on. The willingness of European countries to support Ukraine, and by doing so by American weapons in order to provide them to the Ukrainians.”
“I think all of that is a very good signal that there is beginning to be a better understanding, both by the president and the people around him, as well as by the leaders of our European allies, that there can be common ground amongst us,” she continued. “And the kind of dismissiveness that we saw in the first Trump administration has been replaced by a much more obvious working relationship to the good of European security, transatlantic security, and hopefully Ukrainian security. So I’m actually encouraged.”
The president told NBC News in a July 10 interview that NATO would pay for U.S.-supplied Patriot missile shipments to Ukraine, asserting the arrangement was made at the June NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has praised Trump, even calling him “daddy” at the summit.
Rutte also credited Trump with securing the defense spending commitments on The New York Times’ “The Interview” in July.
“I think when somebody deserves praise, that praise should be given. And President Trump deserves all the praise,” Rutte said. “Because without his leadership, without him being reelected President of the United States, the 2% this year and the 5% in 2035 — we would never, ever, ever have been able to achieve agreement on this.”
Moreover, NewsNation host Chris Cuomo praised Trump on a July episode of “The Chris Cuomo Project” for his “good” foreign policy moves, awarding the president a “B” grade on the issue. He cited America’s June bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the president’s deal to get NATO to pay for U.S. weapons for Ukraine.
“Iran alone was a great stopgap measure … there’s no question that the bombing sent a very strong message to the regime,” Cuomo said. “Their proxies have been beaten down thanks mostly to Israel, but also American intervention. And their nuclear program has been slowed.”
The Defense Intelligence Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Iranian government all have generally asserted that America’s strikes caused substantial damage to Iran’s nuclear program.
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