Germany Is Spending ‘Quite a Bit’ on Defense, Trump Acknowledges
Friedrich Merz (L) and Donald Trump (R), June 5, 2025. X/ @AdamJSchwarz
June 5, 2025 Hour: 1:49 pm
In recent weeks, Washington has been pressuring NATO countries to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
During a meeting at the White House on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Germany is investing “quite a bit” on defense.
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When asked by the press whether Germany is allocating enough resources to its military, Trump responded: “Well, I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t dealt with it much. I know they’re spending quite a bit more now. That’s a positive thing,” he said.
On June 24 and 25, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold a summit in The Hague. Ahead of the event, NATO Secretary Mark Rutte urged member countries to agree to raise the defense spending threshold from 2% to 5% of GDP.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been pressing to set that new threshold. On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated it is essential that all allies understand the need to “pitch in” and commit to the 5% goal.
Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country needs to increase its armed forces by 50,000 to 60,000 troops. “At the moment, mandatory military service wouldn’t do us any good because we lack the capacity both in barracks and in training. That’s why those capacities need to grow. Until then, military service will be voluntary,” he said.
During the White House meeting, Merz presented the U.S. president with the birth certificate of his grandfather, Frederick Trump. Laughing, the chancellor noted that Trump’s grandfather was born Friedrich, just like him, to which the U.S. president responded by pointing out that it is a “very German name.”
Frederick Trump (1869–1918) was born in Kallstadt, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1885, at just 16 years old, he emigrated to the United States in search of better opportunities, like many Germans of his generation.
After amassing a fortune, the founder of the Trump dynasty returned to Kallstadt, but in 1905 the authorities revoked his citizenship because he had emigrated without completing mandatory military service. He then returned to New York.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
