Nato allies ‘riding on American taxpayer’ for decades until Trump, says Hegseth

The UK and other Nato allies committed to increase military spending “after decades of riding on the American taxpayer” because Donald Trump demanded it, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said.

The Pentagon chief highlighted the shift among alliance members in Europe from “being a burden” to sharing the financial load as he championed the record of the US administration in the face of efforts to impeach him in Congress.

In a defiant news conference – his first in six months – Mr Hegseth sought to portray the move on Capitol Hill to formally charge him with “high crimes and misdemeanours” and ultimately remove him from office as an attack on troops themselves, branding it an act of “sabotage”.

He argued putting him on trial would lead to the prosecution of “the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow”.

Mr Hegseth made his comments after representative Thomas Massie, who will be leaving Congress after losing the Republican primary race in May, launched a bid to impeach him over his handling of the Iran war and other military operations.

Many Republicans blame the conflict with Tehran for the party’s midterm election wipeout, including vice president JD Vance, which will see Democrats take control of Congress.

The 34-page impeachment resolution, proposed by Mr Massie, largely focuses on the war in Iran, but also includes references to Mr Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela, as well as the lethal targeting of alleged drug-running vessels.

Mr Hegseth insists he has done nothing wrong and that he “would do it again tomorrow”.

His robust remarks earned praise from Mr Trump following the news conference.

The president wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Pete Hegseth gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defence against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”

Mr Hegseth, a former Fox News presenter, is a divisive figure in Washington whose abrasive style has provoked criticism.

He recently sought to diminish the role played by America’s coalition allies during the Afghanistan war, which cost the lives of 457 UK personnel, leading to a slapdown by Downing Street.

He has also previously mocked the Royal Navy and accused fellow Nato members of “free-riding”.

The UK and other Nato countries committed last year to hike defence spending to 5% of economic output by 2035 in the face of demands by Mr Trump, who claimed the US was bankrolling the security of other countries, and the burgeoning threats from Russia and China.

Mr Hegseth pointed to this as he hit back at the impeachment threat.

He said: “Our Nato allies, after decades of riding on the American taxpayer in Europe, committed to 5% of GDP for their own defence.

“Our allies are finally stepping up. Out with being a burden, in with burden sharing. Why? Because President Trump demanded it.”

He condemned the push to impeach him as “a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment”.

He said: “Time for one man’s final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country, and most irresponsibly the warriors who defend it. It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it.”

Mr Hegseth argued the concerns raised were “policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanours, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause”.

He said: “The proper remedy for a policy disagreement, it’s legislation, it’s debate, it’s the next presidential election.

“It’s not handing the House and Senate floor to the Democrats so that they can run a show trial.”

He added: “It tells our enemies, Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching, that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations.

“It tells them that a single rogue legislator, loaded with personal animus for the president, can attempt to veto national security decisions made by the duly elected commander in chief.

“It puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signalling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time. This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”

Mr Hegseth went on: “These resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime.

“I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.

“Put the secretary on trial today, and the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow.

“If they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me.”