“ While I agree with most Trump positions, I disagree with his view on NATO and his view on Ukraine. Those are 2 big issues.”
I believe that it is possible/probable that those are negotiating postures.
If you want NATO partners to pay their 2%, when they ask if you will protect them anyhow, even if they don’t pay - tell them no. Incentivize them. They welched for a long time before Trump told them no. It is not the art of the deal, it is just the very basics of deal making.
I am on board with you. Trump demanded that NATO members pay their fair share(popular phrase on the other side), but true in this case. He was against nord stream and warned Europe about being dependent on Russia for energy.
I will take my chances with supporting Trump and his policies over a liar whose policies will destroy America and at that point NATO is mute.
Put another way, if Europe had been preparing like they should have over the past decades, then many of the issues about supplying Ukraine would not be happening and even more important Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if they had.
Putin sensed weakness and he made his mov, just like a certain corporal with a bad mustache did decades ago
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_67655.htm
All US administrations since 2006 have pushed for members to increase defense budgets above 2%, and this was particularly emphasized again in 2014;
The Defence Investment Pledge endorsed in 2014 called for Allies to meet the 2% of GDP guideline for defence spending and the 20% of annual defence expenditure guideline on major new equipment by 2024. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a majority of Allies have committed to investing more, and more quickly, in defence.
At the 2023 Vilnius Summit, NATO Leaders agreed a new Defence Investment Pledge, making an enduring commitment to investing at least 2% of GDP annually on defence. They also affirmed that in many cases, expenditure beyond 2% of GDP will be needed in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements across all domains arising from a more contested security order. The new Defence Investment Pledge also calls for Allies to meet the 20% of annual defence expenditure guideline on major new equipment, including research and development.
In 2024, 23 Allies are expected to meet or exceed the target of investing at least 2% of GDP in defence, compared to only three Allies in 2014. Over the past decade, European Allies and Canada have steadily increased their collective investment in defence – from 1.43% of their combined GDP in 2014, to 2.02% in 2024, when they are investing a combined total of more than USD 430 billion in defence.