Democrat Rahm Emanuel backs Trump's call for increased European defense spending

Key facts

• Rahm Emanuel, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, agrees with Donald Trump's stance on increased European defense spending.
• Emanuel stated that European members of NATO have become too reliant on American resources.
• He specifically endorsed Trump's call for NATO allies to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense by 2035.
• This aligns with a pledge agreed upon at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague.

Rahm Emanuel, a prominent Democrat and former Mayor of Chicago, has voiced support for Donald Trump's persistent calls for European nations to increase their defense spending. In an interview with POLITICO, Emanuel, who is considering a presidential run in 2028, stated that Europe has become "responsible for getting dependent on America" within the NATO military alliance.

Emanuel acknowledged that Trump "has a point" in demanding greater defense contributions from NATO allies. He specifically endorsed the target for members to spend 5% of their GDP on defense by 2035, a goal agreed upon at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague. This stance contrasts with some European leaders, such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has argued that Spain can meet NATO's capability requirements while limiting its defense expenditure to 2.1% of GDP.

Emanuel previously served as Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. His comments suggest a potential alignment on foreign policy priorities between factions of the Democratic party and Trump's agenda regarding European security commitments.