Elon Musk declared that everything former President Donald Trump mentioned in a NATO video was “highly accurate.”
On Thursday morning, the billionaire reposted a video of a past NATO meeting during Trump’s presidency.
“Everything he said there was extremely accurate,” wrote Musk.
If you want to understand how Trump kept the world in check, watch this: pic.twitter.com/LGiFRkjwps
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 16, 2024
Musk was referencing a video shared by the X account End Wokeness, in which Trump criticized NATO members regarding Germany’s interactions with Russia.
In the video, Trump addressed Germany’s energy policy, condemning the nation for striking a major oil deal with Russia while being part of NATO.
He contended that Germany’s reliance on Russian oil posed a risk and questioned the prudence of the agreement, implying it could jeopardize Germany’s energy security.
“So we’re supposed to be protecting you against Russia, but they are paying billions of dollars to Russia, and I think that’s very inappropriate,” said Trump.
“It should have never been allowed to happen,” he continued, “but Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they will be getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline.”
“And you tell me, if that’s appropriate because I think it’s not and NATO and I think it’s a very bad for NATO and I don’t think it should happen.”
During the meeting, Trump pointed out that the U.S. was contributing a larger percentage of its GDP to NATO than other member nations. GDP reflects the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country over a specific timeframe, usually measured annually or quarterly.
As president, Trump adopted a tough stance on NATO, admonishing member countries for not fulfilling their defense spending obligations. Many conservatives, including Musk, commended him for this approach, asserting that he achieved more for NATO than any prior president.
Trump’s approach led to an increase in military budgets among NATO members, which conservatives regarded as a means of holding allies accountable for their defense obligations. They viewed this as a reinforcement of the alliance as a whole. Additionally, some foreign leaders acknowledged Trump’s positive influence on NATO, as reported by Newsweek in 2021.
When Bush came to NATO, he made a Speech and Left.
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) October 15, 2024
When Obama came to NATO, he made a speech and left.
When Trump came to NATO and he said “LET ME SEE YOUR BOOKS” pic.twitter.com/M2YJL00sJM
As a result of his ongoing criticism, several NATO countries pledged to increase their defense budgets.
During his presidency, Trump employed a mix of assertive diplomacy, economic pressure, and military strategies to hold other nations accountable, particularly through tariffs and sanctions against countries like China and Iran.
In this way, he contested trade practices he deemed unfair and sought to hinder their development of nuclear weapons programs.