An old adage suggests, “Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.”
It’s a saying that perfectly describes President Donald Trump’s time in office and as a world leader.
Trump is responsible for NATO countries in Europe increasing their defense spending by a trillion dollars since 2016. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte revealed this fact during his opening remarks at the summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday. Rutte’s revelation is important because it highlights a vital matter in world security for which Trump never receives credit.
Rutte specifically cited Trump’s leadership as the catalyst for this increase in spending. It wasn’t because of NATO leaders, the European Union, globalism, multilateralism, the war in Ukraine, or any other geopolitical event. It was because of Trump. It’s the exact kind of thing the president’s critics, opponents, and detractors said wasn’t possible, all while promoting the narrative that he was destroying relationships with our nation’s most treasured allies.
And they were all wrong. Consider Rutte’s words.
@SecGenNATO: “For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden of that commitment — and that changes today. President Trump — dear Donald — you made this change possible… we will produce trillions more for our common defense to make us stronger and… pic.twitter.com/qK5yT0cUdE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2025
“For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden of that commitment, and that changes today,” Rutte said. “President Trump, dear Donald, you made this change possible. Your leadership on this has already produced $1 trillion in excess spending from European allies since 2016. We will produce trillions more for our common defense to make us stronger and fairer by equalizing spending between America and America’s allies.”
Rutte’s praise is noteworthy. It’s an admission that contradicts the words, predictions, projections, and assertions of supposed experts, educated elites, geopolitical strategists, and international relations gurus. For years, anyone who ever had a spotlight to talk about politics or international affairs didn’t hesitate to offer criticism of Trump’s desire to get NATO to increase spending. They regularly rebuked his rhetoric or said something extreme was looming, such as predicting his words would alienate allies and cause irreparable damage.
They were wrong.
Unfortunately, none of them will ever experience accountability for their errors or gross misjudgments. Instead, they will continue making more incorrect doomsday prognostications, hyperbolic, hysterical assessments, and criticisms. It should cause many pundits to lose credibility. Instead, such people will continue admonishing the president, trumpeting his supposed errors, all the while ignoring their own.
Incorrect predictions and inaccurate assessments aside, an arguably larger problem is that media reports have widely ignored Rutte’s statement praising Trump. This is sinful, but unfortunately, expected. It’s indicative of everything wrong with the legacy media in the country and their agenda-driven bias against Trump. A quick search will show a myriad of stories critical of Trump for questioning the amount of defense spending by NATO’s European members. There are few, if any, stories mentioning Rutte’s praise or the trillion-dollar increase in defense spending by those countries because of Trump.
TRUMP SEES ‘VERY STRONG’ NATO AND SAYS US IS WITH THEM ‘ALL THE WAY’
Trump should be applauded for his efforts, rhetoric, and geopolitical criticism regarding the defense spending of European countries in NATO. For years, as Trump proclaimed and as Rutte admitted today, Europe was taking advantage of the United States. It took nine years since Trump vocalized this, but things finally seem to be changing. The fact that Trump caused a trillion dollars in excess defense spending by European countries is no small feat. It is worthy of praise and recognition.
The Cold War is over and has been for nearly 35 years. The U.S. isn’t responsible for defending Europe or anywhere in the world, for that matter. Alliances are one thing, but so are countries paying their fair share. And as Rutte pointed out, Trump made them increase defense spending despite many critics predicting otherwise.