Donald Trump’s relentless push for NATO allies to increase defense spending has reshaped the alliance’s financial commitments. During his presidency, Trump lambasted European nations for failing to meet their obligations, famously calling out Germany and other economic powerhouses for relying on the United States while skimping on their own military budgets.

In 2014, NATO members had agreed to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense by 2024. But by the time Trump took office in 2017, only three members met this threshold—the United States, the United Kingdom, and Greece. Trump’s unyielding rhetoric and threats to reconsider America’s NATO commitments forced allies to accelerate their spending. He went so far as to suggest that the U.S. might not defend countries that didn’t pay their fair share, a move that rattled European capitals but produced results.

By 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that defense spending among European allies and Canada had increased by $400 billion since Trump’s tenure. Countries like Germany, which had long resisted major military investment, announced plans to significantly boost their budgets. Berlin even pledged to meet the 2 percent target annually going forward.

Critics accused Trump of undermining NATO unity with his harsh language, but the results speak for themselves. NATO, once reliant on American largesse, now boasts stronger financial contributions from its European members. Leaders who once dismissed Trump’s demands now echo his call for equitable burden-sharing.

“We are seeing a turning point in defense spending,” Stoltenberg admitted, attributing much of the shift to American pressure.

Trump’s strategy—ridiculed by detractors at the time—has become a cornerstone of NATO’s financial transformation, ensuring the alliance is better prepared to confront modern threats. Even out of office, his impact on NATO spending endures.