Three Key Takeaways:
- Senator Eric Schmitt’s op-ed criticizes Europe for relying on America for defense while neglecting to invest in their own military, highlighting the financial burden on the U.S. from NATO.
- Schmitt echoes President Trump’s America First policy, calling for a shift towards prioritizing American interests, while demanding that Europe take more responsibility for its own security.
- The Senator also revealed concerning details about America’s military readiness, including the risk of running out of munitions in a major conflict, and advocated for rebuilding the U.S. industrial base to strengthen defense capabilities.
Donald Trump is making good on his promise to shake up America’s foreign policy.
The Washington, D.C. establishment doesn’t like it one bit.
And Senator Eric Schmitt just dropped a bombshell about America’s military that will leave Europe furious.
Senator Schmitt calls out Europe in hard-hitting op-ed
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt (R) penned a scathing op-ed for The American Conservative on March 31 that has sent shockwaves through the foreign policy establishment.
In his piece titled “Europe Needs Trump’s New Realism,” Schmitt laid out a forceful case for the America First approach that President Trump has championed since his first campaign.
“For too long, America has carried an outsized share of the financial burden for Europe’s security, allowing generations of European leaders to take these defense investments for granted, opting to fill the coffers of pension programs and other social welfare boondoggles,” Schmitt wrote.
This blunt assessment cuts to the heart of what Trump has been saying about NATO for years – European nations aren’t paying their fair share while America endlessly foots the bill to subsidize their welfare states.
Trump and Vance understand what establishment politicians refuse to see
Schmitt praised the current administration’s clear-eyed approach to foreign policy priorities.
“President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have long understood these geopolitical realities. An America-First foreign policy is one based on prioritizing tangible American interests—not empty abstractions,” Schmitt explained in his op-ed.
He didn’t hold back in criticizing the failed approaches of previous administrations either.
“The foreign adventurism of the last 30 years has not been ‘conservative’ at all. It’s Wilsonian liberalism in new clothes,” Schmitt wrote. “The Wilsonians—neoconservatives and neoliberals alike—used to dominate both party establishments.”
This view is a complete repudiation of the Bush-era neoconservative foreign policy that led America into costly foreign wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Schmitt reveals shocking truth about America’s defense capabilities
Perhaps the most alarming revelation in Schmitt’s piece was his assessment of America’s current military readiness.
“As it currently stands, some estimates suggest that the United States would ‘likely run out of some munitions—such as long-range, precision-guided munitions’ in ‘less than one week’ in the event of a major Taiwan Strait conflict with China,” Schmitt disclosed.
He added that “replenishing these systems will take years, not weeks or months.”
This bombshell admission confirms what many Trump supporters have long suspected – America’s military capabilities have been stretched dangerously thin by global commitments while our industrial base has deteriorated.
Defense Secretary Hegseth delivers tough message to NATO allies
Schmitt highlighted recent comments from Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that delivered a wake-up call to European leaders.
During a February meeting in Brussels, Hegseth told NATO allies: “The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defense partnership with Europe. Full stop. But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency. Rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.”
This straight talk represents a major shift from the diplomatic niceties that have characterized previous administrations’ approaches to NATO.
Energy Secretary highlights Europe’s self-inflicted industrial decline
Schmitt also cited Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s assessment of Europe’s economic weaknesses.
“We have outsourced far too much manufacturing, and our allies in Europe have gone much further in this destructive direction,” Wright said in a recent speech quoted by Schmitt. “I find it sad and a bit ironic that the once mighty steel and petrochemical industries of the United Kingdom have been displaced to Asia.”
This critique points to a fundamental problem – Europe has prioritized radical climate policies over industrial strength and security, making them even more dependent on American protection.
America First is the future of U.S. foreign policy
Schmitt concluded his op-ed with a clear statement about the path forward under the Trump administration.
“It is time we recognize that we must make hard choices while rebuilding our industrial base to face the challenges of the future. It is time for Europe to step up,” Schmitt declared.
The Senator’s forceful op-ed represents perhaps the strongest official articulation yet of the America First foreign policy that Trump campaigned on and is now implementing.
For decades, establishment politicians from both parties pushed policies that put American interests last. Under President Trump, those days are finally over.
