Democrat Rahm Emanuel backs Trump's call for Europe to spend more on defence

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Rahm Emanuel, one of the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential hopefuls, says Donald Trump is right to demand that Europe spend more on defense.

In an interview with POLITICO’s Gordon Repinski in Berlin, the former Chicago mayor said Europe had become too reliant on America’s resources within the NATO military alliance.

“You’re responsible for getting dependent on America over the years,” Emanuel said, referring to the European members of NATO.

“The truth is we’re responsible for letting you get dependent on us,” he added.

When asked whether Trump had a point in demanding more defense spending, Emanuel responded, “Of course he does.”

Emanuel also endorsed Trump’s demand that NATO allies spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense by 2035, something members agreed to do at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague. The pledge drew pushback from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who argued Spain could meet NATO’s capability targets while limiting defense spending to 2.1 percent of GDP.

The former chief of staff to President Barack Obama is mulling a presidential run in 2028.