Amid reports that the Europeans are at a “breaking point” with the United States as President Donald Trump cajoles and pressures them to spend more on mutual defense, the reality is that his strategy has worked, respected military historian Victor Davis Hanson tells Just the News. 

Ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit last week in Turkey, European leaders’ frustrations with their American counterpart was the key story. 

The Wall Street Journal reported extensively on the breach between Washington and its allies over Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, boost defense spending and questioning the U.S. commitment to the alliance. 

But, Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, argues the actions of those European allies show Trump's pressure is working, despite their protestations and suggestions that they have reached a breaking point with the U.S. 

Since Trump took office last year and called for Europeans to boost the percentage of GDP spent on defense, the NATO allies have responded with action. At a summit last year, the allies committed to boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP. 

“Europe is very upset with Trump, but it's largely because he's forcing them to do what they know is in their own self-interest, and they can't admit that they were wrong by not arming to the 2% prior NATO standard or reaching the 5%,” Hanson told the John Solomon Reports podcast. 

“But, the net result of it is that in a year or two, NATO is going to be much more independent, much better to protect itself from Russia, and will allow us to pivot and really take care of our equally important allies in Australia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan against the rising hegemony of China,” he also said.

At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump acknowledged the progress that many members of the alliance have made toward meeting that spending goal. 

“In the working session this morning, we discussed the progress other members are making toward the 5% target,” Trump said. “Some have truly answered the call and others are making big changes, and will be answering the call. ... I urge all nations to accelerate their plans to get to the benchmark as quickly as possible.”

The data show that many European countries appear to be taking the commitment seriously. Defense spending on the continent has grown by almost 13% in real terms in both 2024 and 2025. 

Germany, whose military strength has lagged behind its position as the continent’s dominant economy since the end of the Cold War, is leading the pack. This week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet approved a draft budget that would allocate one fifth of federal expenditures to defense next year. 

"We cannot defend ourselves against Putin with a balanced budget," German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said when presenting the budget, according to Politico.

"Germany is doubling its defense budget within four years," Merz said in Berlin. "This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defense capabilities.” 

In response to Trump’s complaints that NATO is not spending enough, he said, “In that regard, we have nothing to hide from anyone.” 

Last year, Germany suspended a constitutional constraint on budget deficits by exempting a large portion of defense spending. This allowed for Merz’s government to approve a massive increase in military expenditures. 

Germany has been followed by many NATO members, all of which have now exceeded prior commitments to raise defense spending above the 2% of GDP threshold. Many have promised to raise expenditures even higher by the end of the decade. 

Hanson told Just the News that these gains will ultimately make NATO allies, and the world, safer, despite any resentments their leaders harbor about  Trump’s style. 

“[T]he overall theme of the Trump administration should be we had to give the world tough medicine, and at times they resented our unsolicited advice, but it wasn't just for our own geostrategic interest, but to make a safer and better world, especially for our allies,” Hanson said.