‘Everyone shut up’: Former NATO chief recalls Trump’s aborted threat to abandon alliance

At a tense NATO summit in 2018, the then-Danish premier made an observation that even first-term US President Donald Trump – a frequent critic of NATO, and threatening to leave the meeting – said was a worthy point, according to the NATO chief at the time.

Speaking on a discussion program simulcast Thursday in all the Nordic countries, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg – now serving as Norway’s finance minister – said he feared during the summit that “NATO would perish.”

Trump had repeatedly accused European allies of not contributing enough financially to NATO. According to Stoltenberg, the situation escalated when Trump’s delegation packed their bags and prepared to leave the summit.

“If the US president leaves a NATO summit in protest, then NATO no longer functions as an alliance between Europe and the US,” said Stoltenberg.

‘Everyone shut up’

Stoltenberg described how European leaders remained silent during the tense meeting. “I looked at (French President Emmanuel) Macron, he shut up. (Then-German Chancellor Angela) Merkel shut up. (Then-British Prime Minister) Theresa May shut up. Everyone shut up.”

The only leader who spoke out, Stoltenberg said, was then-Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who also took part in Thursday’s broadcast.

The Danish leader argued that NATO burden-sharing should not only be measured in money, but also in sacrifice. He pointed out that Denmark, a country of just 5 million people, lost 45 soldiers in the war in Afghanistan.

Rasmussen later explained why he chose to speak. “Someone has to say it like it is,” he said. “I was genuinely provoked.”

According to Rasmussen, Trump replied at the time: “You made a good point.”

Stoltenberg also revealed that Trump handed him a handwritten note during the summit, suggesting it would help if Stoltenberg publicly credited him for pushing European countries to spend billions more on defense.

“I did that,” Stoltenberg admitted.

This January, Trump told Fox News about the US’ NATO allies participation in Afghanistan – which triggered the only time the alliance’s collective defense article was invoked – “They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

After allies protested that many of their soldiers had died in Afghanistan, the Trump administration walked back Trump’s comments, praising the allies’ contributions in Afghanistan.