"Five percent would be over 200 billion ($204 billion) per year; the federal budget is not even 500 billion. That would only be possible with massive tax increases or massive cuts to many things that are important to us," Scholz explained at a campaign event, emphasizing the impracticality of Trump's demands.
"I guarantee that we will continue to spend 2% of our economic output on defense," Scholz stated, defending Germany's commitment to NATO spending without compromising essential social services.
Scholz highlighted the historical significance of Germany reaching the NATO target of 2% of GDP, noting, "Germany only reached the current NATO target of 2% last year, the first time since the end of the Cold War."
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remarked, "2% can only be the beginning," indicating a potential openness to further discussions about Germany's future defense spending.
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