‘Trust has been eroded’: Trump’s NATO troop remarks have shaken allied veterans

Backlash

In Britain, Starmer — usually deliberately careful in his dealings with the Trump — called the comments “insulting and frankly appalling,” saying he was not surprised they had caused “such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.”

Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, said the sacrifices of allied troops “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect,” adding: “I served there. I lost friends there.”

Nikki Scott’s husband, Corp. Lee Scott, was killed in Afghanistan while serving in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, leaving behind his wife and two children.

Holding a black book containing briefing notes that her husband had taken, she said in a video posted on LinkedIn: “I believe in the difference he and all our armed forces made, and no one should tell us otherwise.”

The sweeping response speaks to wider concerns about what Trump’s stance could mean for the future of NATO and its relationship with the U.S., already under increasing strain with Russia seeking to test the alliance’s resolve.

“Equivocation from Washington weakens deterrence, emboldens Moscow, and risks persuading soldiers on the ground that NATO no longer carries the saliency or seriousness it once did,” said H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank in London.

“While the remarks change little for soldiers fighting in Ukraine,” he said, “strategically, they are deeply corrosive.”

Little recalls the commitment of NATO forces firsthand after the attacks on the U.S. in 2001, and the contrast between that reality and political rhetoric gives him pause.

“For the rest of us that were up front, getting pulled apart, losing dads and brothers and husbands, we heard the call, we came running, and we happily went out there,” he said.

“The trust that NATO has America’s back has not been eroded. What’s been eroded here is the trust that America has ours.”