"Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Sky News and others subsequently declared, now NATO gets the MAGA treatment...
Hegseth brought a message saying "we must make NATO great again" and called on European allies to do "far more for Europe's defense" - such as ramping up defense spending to 5% of GDP in line with Trump policy. The Pentagon chief laid out that he's been given "clear mission" from the Commander-in-Chief to "achieve peace through strength as well as put America first".
This is being done, he explained, by "reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and re-establishing deterrence".
"NATO should pursue these goals as well," Hegseth added. "NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defence alliance in history. But to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe's defense."
When asked about US military funding for Ukraine moving forward, Hegseth responded: "I think it would be fair to say that things like future funding, either less or more, could be on the table in negotiations."
The day prior he shocked European partners by declaring that there will be no future admission of Ukraine into NATO. Commenting on follow-up questions regarding Trump's commitment to NATO, one UK correspondent observed the following:
[Mark] Stone says Hegseth's messaging was "so clear", particularly when asked if America was still committed to article five, which states that an attack on one NATO nation is effectively treated as an attack on all of NATO.
"He was quite clear that, yes, America is a NATO member and article five stands," Stone explains.
"I think that will be very encouraging for anyone who is under any confusion about that yesterday."
Indeed Hegseth rejected accusations that the US stance is undermining NATO security and stability. "NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future our partners must do far more for Europe's defense. We must make NATO great again," he said during the presser from Brussels.
His reference to not allowing the United States to be a sucker came at the very end of the remarks:
Hegseth says at the end of Eisenhower's presidency, he was concerned Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense, "nearly making, in Eisenhower's words, a sucker out of Uncle Sam".
He finishes by saying Trump "will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker".
Realism... is not a concession to Putin, but an acknowledgement of reality on the ground...
Clearly, MAGA has put Europe on notice, and it's evident to all particularly when it comes to rapidly moving forward with diplomatic engagement with Putin and negotiations to settle the war.
Hegseth just dropped the mic at the NATO summit...