In context what Trump said made PERFECT SENSE.
At the time, Russia wasn’t threatening anyone in Europe, much less the large countries there. And so, the question, to paraphrase really was “President Trump, if we discontinue spending money on National Defense, and instead spend it on, for example, Migration, will you still defend us should an external challenge arise?”
Trump gave them the answer they needed, and they quickly started to take their own defense seriously.
No, you stupid twit, it is a negotiating tactic. The object is IDENTICAL to what it was in his first term, to pressure the freeloaders in NATO to cough up their fair share of defense spending - it worked then, and it’ll work again.
Every time I see her name in print, the first thing that comes to my mind is Tom Shales calling her a globetrotting fancypants who said we should have a moment of silence for all dead - including the Taliban - in the Afghan war.