Donald Trump’s return to the White House poses existential questions for Nato. Divisions in the west over how to deal with the Russia-Ukraine war have figured prominently since Trump won re-election. But it is transatlantic burden-sharing that could be Nato’s biggest concern.
During his first term of office, Trump was unabashed in his criticisms of the transatlantic alliance. Boiled down to one key message: Nato, Trump argued, was a club of “delinquent” allies leeching off the generosity of the United States.
Previous American presidents had levelled similar charges. But Trump was unusual in spelling out the consequences. America’s commitment to Nato’s collective defence mission, he insisted, couldn’t be taken for granted if the allies failed to increase their defence budgets.
