‘Painful as it is to say - Trump has a point’: Jeremey Hunt’s NATO warning
Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warns Britain faces "imminent danger" as Trump threatens NATO withdrawal, urging the UK to commit to 3% GDP defence spending to prevent the "most catastrophic" outcome for European security.
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In brief:
- Jeremy Hunt warns Britain faces a "huge moment of imminent danger" as Trump threatens to pull the US out of NATO, calling this a "terrifying moment."
- He urges Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to make a "firm commitment" to 3% GDP defence spending to come close to the US's 3.4%, and admits that "Trump has a point" about Europe's unfair reliance on American taxpayers for defence spending.
- He says that while Trump is not on the side of democracies as much as he'd want, Britain needs to keep America "knitted into that global family of democracies" during this "difficult period".
What’s the story?
Jeremy Hunt knows a thing or two about politics - an MP for nearly 20 years, his CV is a long list of senior ministerial roles, including most notably as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
During that period, Hunt had a front row seat to Donald Trump’s first term as president, witnessing some of the most delicate moments in recent NATO history.
With another NATO summit looming at the end of June, he argues that Britain now faces what he calls "a huge moment of imminent danger."
Speaking with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel, Hunt outlines why he believes the next few months could prove pivotal for European security and what Britain must do to prevent the "most catastrophic" outcome for transatlantic relations.
Somewhat ironically, he is now releasing a book titled ‘Can We Be Great Again?’
An obvious play on Trump’s MAGA movement, Hunt is quick to state that he is “not a MAGA conservative”.
The book, he says, is “optimistic at a rather gloomy time” - he offers advice for Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, and ultimately urges Brits to “have a little bit of hope”.
It explores the UK's position on the world stage in 2025, and argues why many underestimate its influence today.
On the “imminent danger” Donald Trump poses to NATO
The first thing to recognise about Donald Trump, Hunt says, is that he “is capable of making your very worst case scenario happen.”
That worst case scenario for Britain is the US pulling out of NATO - something Hunt nearly witnessed during Trump’s first term at the 2018 NATO summit - and he remembers it as a “terrifying moment”.
“Trump's chief of staff flew over from Washington in an emergency to talk him out of it,” Hunt remembers.
“Those were the days, by the way, when Trump surrounded himself with people who were willing to challenge him. That's not the case anymore.”
In the years that have passed, Trump’s criticisms of NATO have not dwindled - and as Britain prepares for the next NATO summit later this month, Hunt believes we are in “a huge moment of imminent danger”.
“Trump knows the way he gets attention is through conflict,” he tells Emily and Jon.
“If Europe doesn't commit to spending more on defense, we are facing a very dangerous moment.”
To avoid the worst happening, Hunt urges Starmer and Reeves to increase GDP spending on defence to 3%.
“When I next see Rachel, I'm going to pull her leg,” he says.
Hunt emphasises this cannot be an “ambition”, but rather must be a “firm commitment”, in order to broadly match the United States’s 3.4%.
“Then you have the possibility of heading off what is the most catastrophic thing that could happen to European defense, which is an American withdrawal from NATO.”
Notably, Hunt believes an increase in defence spending is not just necessary to pacify Trump for the sake of pacifying Trump - although that likely plays a role - but, he believes, because it is the right thing to do.
“American taxpayers are paying for around 40% of the defense of Europe, and that is unfair.
“Painful, though it is to say so - Trump has a point.”
Does Hunt believe Trump is a reliable ally?
With an end to the Russia-Ukraine war still not in sight, Hunt believes the world is facing a battle between democracies and autocracies.
Asked if Trump is on the side of democracies in the battle, Hunt says; “not as much as I would want him to be,” adding that we can’t rely on Trump to show leadership in defending democratic values.
“I make a very strong argument for the defense of open societies and democratic values, and I think it's very clear that we are not going to get leadership on that front from Donald Trump.”
Whilst Hunt fundamentally disagrees with Trump’s views on Ukraine and Zelensky - who he calls “one of the bravest men on the planet” - he says in order to defeat autocracies, it’s vital to keep the US on side.
Starmer, Hunt says, has done “as good as could possibly be expected” when it comes to international diplomacy.
“If we're going to win this battle of the century, and I desperately want us to, we need the most powerful democracy in the world, which is the United States, to be part of the family of democracies”.
“And so I think we need to do what we can during this difficult period with Trump, to keep as far as we can, America knitted into that global family of democracies.
“It’s not going to be easy - but Trump isn't America. He's not going to be president forever.”
In the meantime, as Starmer continues to manage the relationship with, in Hunt’s words, the “very unpredictable” US President, he suggests that Britain needs to have “a little bit of hope”.
“Not just that we can get the right outcome, but that Britain can help craft that outcome.”