Donald Trump‘s comments on NATO over the years have ranged from scepticism to open hostility, going as far as accusing members of the Western alliance which don’t meet its spending target of freeloading off the US.
The former US President has also threatened to pull out of the military alliance multiple times, despite Russia remaining a major threat to the West’s security.
Earlier this year, he sparked widespread outrage when he claimed he once told a NATO ally he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to members not paying at least 2 percent of their GDP into the military group.
As the US presidential elections approach and Mr Trump is ahead in the opinion polls, many diplomats and officials in Europe have voiced their concerns about the possibility of his second term in office and what it could mean for NATO.
But fears Mr Trump would quit NATO if re-elected in November may be exaggerated, according to a geopolitical expert.
Matt Shoemaker, who earlier this year ran for election to the US House as a Republican candidate, told Express.co.uk: “I do not expect President Trump to remove support from NATO entirely.”
Rather, Mr Shoemaker believes, Mr Trump appears to be taking a leaf out of another former US President’s book.
He said: “From a historical perspective, Trump seems to be using the same policy Dwight Eisenhower had towards NATO during his term in the 1950s, namely, that Europe ought to be responsible for its immediate defence and America will fill the role of ultimate backup support in the form of America’s nuclear umbrella.”
Fears the US’ support may no longer be taken for granted within NATO, paired with the ongoing Russian aggression of Ukraine, may be behind the surge of members who have ramped up their spending.
Statistics released by NATO in June showed a record 23 members out of 32 are hitting the alliance’s 2 percent defence spending target – with some including Germany and Turkey reaching it for the first time.
Some of the countries on NATO’s eastern flank acutely aware of Russia‘s threat, including Poland and Estonia, are topping the charts in contributions.