Ron DeSantis wants NATO to ‘do a lot more’

HOLLIS, N.H. (FLV) – During a town hall event in New Hampshire, Gov. Ron DeSantis raised doubts about NATO’s unified dedication to defense, particularly regarding some member nations’ unwillingness to share the financial burden of membership.

The governor alleged that the alliance has become somewhat split on the issue of China since its founding tenant of stopping Soviet expansionism fizzled with the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

“We didn’t want the Soviets coming past eastern Europe and we obviously wanted Germany to basically be kept in check. Well, now we’re in a different situation, and those NATO allies don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with us about our foremost threat, which is China,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis proposed fostering constructive collaboration with India against China, a proposed reversal from the occasional criticism levied against the nation by the Biden administration for collaborating with Russia.

DeSantis also stressed the importance of all NATO members contributing 2.5% of GDP for “defense.”

The Florida governor accused some European nations of not being “where they need to be” and said they “need to do more than what they’ve done.”

He also credited Trump with applying pressure on NATO members to pay their share of NATO’s defense budget.

“So they need to do a lot more and we need to insist on it, and I will give Trump credit for saying that in 2016,” DeSantis said. “He was right.”

Both Trump and DeSantis hosted dueling events in the Granite State this week as the race for the Republican nomination heats up.