Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway defended President Trump’s tough talk at the NATO summit and his leaving of the meeting to hold a press conference on Thursday morning.
During an interview with Fox New’s “Fox & Friends” Mrs. Conway said the press conference was the president’s way of being transparent and accessible to the press.
“I also believe that him taking questions where there are no notes, no net, people see him in full,” she said.
Some have criticized the president for focusing on unequal payments to NATO instead of security or unity.
Mrs. Conway pushed back against those claims and said that aside from his “America First” stance, fairness is Mr. Trump’s priority.
“Peace to him means people paying their fair share when it comes to common defense,” Mrs. Conway said.
French President Emanuel Macron said NATO states did not agree to increase spending.
NBC News reported Mr. Macron’s comments on Twitter.
President Macron denies President Trump’s claim that NATO powers agreed to increase defense spending beyond previous targets.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 12, 2018
In response to the comments, Mrs. Conway explained that Mr. Trump understood NATO allies had to return to their home countries in order to make changes to their contributions.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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