Trump Asserts Legitimacy of Tariff and Defense Cost Increase Pressure
in Social Media Post
U.S. President Donald Trump once again emphasized the legitimacy of his trade policies and his pressure on allied nations to increase their defense spending.
On July 14 (local time), President Trump stated on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, "For decades, the United States has been taken advantage of by both friends and foes in trade (and military!) matters," adding, "As a result, we have paid trillions of dollars in costs, and this is no longer sustainable."
He continued, "Other countries should say, 'Thank you for allowing us to ride for free for so many years. But now we know we must do the right thing for America.'"
President Trump also wrote, "We should respond, 'Thank you for understanding the situation we are in. Thank you very much!'"
This is interpreted as President Trump's attempt to highlight the legitimacy of his tariff threats against trading partners and his demands for increased defense spending from allied nations, which he began immediately after taking office.
The Trump administration recently secured a pledge at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit for member states to raise their annual defense spending from 2% to as much as 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP). Following this, the administration is also demanding similar increases in defense spending from Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan.
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