NY Times rips Trump over ’embarrassing’ NATO speech

The New York Times tore into President Trump’s speech to NATO in a blistering editorial Friday, saying Trump “failed” his first major speech in Europe.

The newspaper said Trump’s first meeting at NATO was an opportunity to demonstrate he would “honor the example of his predecessors in leading a strong and unified alliance.”

However, the Times said, he instead homed in on his “obsession” with allies increasing their military budgets

{mosads}“Mr. Trump lectured the members for falling short on pledges to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic products on the military, much as he had hectored them on this subject during his presidential campaign,” the piece reads.

“Mr. Trump’s repeated scolds are not just condescending but embarrassing.”

Trump on Thursday chastised NATO allies for not “contributing their fair share” and meeting financial obligations for defense funding.

“This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States, and many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years — and not paying in those past years,” Trump said.

The editorial board referenced comments from Donald Tusk, president of the European Union’s European Council, reported by the Associated Press that he is not “100 percent sure” he and Trump share a common position on Russia.

“There were signs, too, that Mr. Trump and the allies remain at odds over Russia, which is deeply unsettling given mounting questions about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.”

The Times has been the frequent target of attacks by Trump, who has called the newspaper “fake news” and “failing.”