Trump’s NATO Strategy: “Europe Is Quickly Getting Stronger”

0:00 Speaker 1 Well, it was a big week. It was UN week, and my God, New York, you couldn’t get around town. But hopefully a few things were resolved and a few things were accomplished. Who better to ask us is Matthew Whitaker.

0:17 He serves as the ambassador to NATO. Well, Matthew, Mr. Ambassador, does Europe realize yet that the deal that President Trump made in Greenland could save their behinds?

0:34 Speaker 2 Yeah, they do. They’re quickly realizing how important. that deal is. And ultimately, not only does it protect North America and the Western Hemisphere, you know, it’s such an important piece to the puzzle for the Arctic. And as we see a much more active China and Russia in the Arctic, and even referring to itself as a near Arctic power,

0:57 I think it’s very important that we get that forever deal that he negotiated and got in place. It’s such a big victory for really the security of the entire North Atlantic region. Region.

1:08 Speaker 2 And, you know, that’s what NATO is sworn to protect. And I think what President Trump was able to bring to that effort and the deal that he has now and the basing we’re going to see on Greenland is going to protect not only the United States of America and Canada, but it’s also going to be very important

1:23 to the entire European continent as well.

1:27 Speaker 1 Now, you’ve been representing NATO now for since last April, April of 2025. And I’m sure you’ve met all the NATO allies and all their leadership. Give us the pulse of them. I mean, they fought President Trump a lot.

1:50 They didn’t want to help President Trump in the Iranian situation. Are things getting closer together?

1:59 Speaker 2 Yeah, I think the natural bond between the United States and our European allies is always going to be strong. We’re going to have disagreements. But, you know, the United States leads the free world, and they look to us to point the direction. And I think President Trump has been pretty clear, whether it’s been on trade, whether it’s

2:17 been on security, whether it’s been on AI, you know, I think he has said, cast a vision that’s been compelling. And we see all of our allies getting on board. You know, I’ve traveled all over the alliance, whether it’s Canada, Iceland, and all over Europe to every single country in the alliance. And, you know, they obviously they don’t necessarily at times like

2:40 President Trump’s rhetoric, but they certainly like the results because NATO is stronger. Our European allies are quickly getting stronger. And that obviously is what is going to guarantee the peace for the future.

2:52 Speaker 1 I agree with you. Any particular allies that you want to point out? I mean, I’ve said to people that one of the reasons for Brexit on Great Britain was the fact that they woke up one day and they used to be 67% British and they woke up one day and it was only 47% British. What’s going on?

3:20 NATO countries are being invaded And have the rest of the countries realized that?

3:26 Speaker 2 Yeah, well, so they’re obviously many of our allies are moving very quickly to reverse some really pretty terrible ideas. What they did with open immigration that has not served their national interest in the way they gave very generous social benefits and didn’t require assimilation into countries. their unique cultures in Europe. But I think some of the allies

3:50 that are moving out on our vision and our program quickly are Germany and Poland come to top of the mind. I think the Dutch are obviously very pragmatic people and they get it and they’re just quietly going about their work.

4:04 Now that we have this Denmark-Greenland deal done, I think the Danes should be pointed out as a an ally that’s doing a lot and quickly. And then, of course, the folks that are closest to the challenge that Russia presents, whether it’s the Finns or the Baltic countries, they’re all doing very well. But I work with every single one

4:24 of the countries to make sure that they uniquely are getting stronger as quickly as possible. I was just in the Czech Republic delivering a pretty strong message on the president’s behalf to make sure that they’re getting on the program and spending a lot more on their own security and therefore collective security. So there’s a lot of work

4:40 to do, John, but I think we’ve made tremendous progress because of President Trump’s leadership.

4:46 Speaker 1 I agree 100%. One other important thing. Turkey aligning themselves with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Now, Turkey is a NATO nation. Turkey has now aligned themselves with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Is there any conflicts here that you feel uncomfortable about?

5:11 Speaker 2 Yeah, you know, Turkey is a fantastic ally. They’ve got the second largest... military inside of NATO next to the United States. You know, they have a tremendous defense industrial base. They’re building about 50 ships right now in Turkey for themselves and our allies. And so I think Turkey is doing a fantastic job. You know, their Mecca agreement that

5:34 they announced with Saudi and Pakistan certainly doesn’t necessarily implicate NATO directly. But, you know, we’re having some pretty productive conversations with them to make sure that we don’t get pulled into something in that regard. But I think, you know, Turkey is obviously a strong country. You know, the president of Erdogan has a great relationship with President Trump. And

5:57 so I feel like we’re all heading in the right direction right now.

6:01 Speaker 1 Anything else you want to say to the American people on a Sunday morning?

6:05 Speaker 2 You know what, John? I really think President Trump’s leadership globally, and especially NATO, has had our allies becoming more stronger. They’ve spent $ 139 billion year over year on their own security. $ 60 billion of that has been in the United States, which creates security. good-paying jobs for the American people. Almost 200,000 jobs are supported by our NATO allies buying U.S. equipment.

6:30 And so, I mean, I think it’s a tremendous win. The 5% GDP on defense is now the global standard, and it’s all because of President Trump’s leadership. And, you know, he should get all the credit.

6:43 Speaker 1 Thank you so much for coming on this Sunday morning. Thank you for what you do for America. And let’s catch up again real soon.

6:50 Speaker 2 All right, my friend. Good to talk to you. Thank you.