Trump says Canada ‘slightly delinquent’ at NATO meeting

President Trump on Tuesday said Canada was “just slightly delinquent” for not meeting NATO’s spending target of 2 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

“Slightly delinquent, I would say, Canada. But they’ll be OK. I have confidence,” Trump said at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of a NATO leaders meeting in London.{mosads}

“Just slightly delinquent. Some are major delinquent. Some are way below 1 percent and that’s unacceptable. And then if something happens, we’re supposed to protect them and it’s not really fair,” Trump continued.

Trump has previously lashed out at NATO member countries for not meeting the alliance’s defense spending target of 2 percent GDP, accusing them of being “delinquent.” Trump has long pressed countries to spend more on defense and complained the United States contributes a disproportionate amount to the alliance.

Trump’s remarks on Tuesday about Canada were widely interpreted as going easy on the NATO member, which currently spends 1.4 percent of GDP on defense. 

At one point Tuesday, Trump joked that he would put Canada “on a payment plan.”