“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.