Taking center stage at Davos last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte lobbed a proverbial grenade into a black-tie affair.
At a time when European sensibilities had been brutishly offended by Donald Trump's attempted takeover of Greenland, Rutte unleashed a blistering hot take.
Europe should be grateful for President Donald Trump.
"I'm not popular with you now because I'm defending Donald Trump," he said. "But I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense."
Clearly, Rutte didn't show up at the elite social forum to hobnob and make friends.
He was there to remind Europe of the grim reality.
It has, in fact, handicapped itself through decades of overreliance on the United States.
Trump's proddings — however boorish they may be — have made that clear.
More than that, they've gotten results.
Ten years ago just three members of NATO adhered to the alliance's defense spending guidance (2% of GDP).
Today, 25 of NATO's 32 members meet or exceed that spending mark.
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"No way, without Donald Trump this would never have happened. They're all on 2% now," Rutte reminded Davos.
"I'm absolutely convinced without Donald Trump you would not have taken those decisions and they are crucial, particularly for the European and the Canadian side of NATO to really grow up in the post-Cold War world."
Grow up.
Do better.
Europe is making progress. They even raised their defense spending target to 5% of GDP. That move — initially demanded by Trump — could generate as much as $600 billion in military expenditure over the next 10 years.
After decades of inertia, European defense contractors are on the move again.
German defense giant Rheinmetall has seen its stock surge 150% in the past year, as a result. Italian defense firm Leonardo SpA is up 95% in that time. And the British BAE Systems is up 60%.
All that action was driven by big jumps in defense spending across the continent.
The EU has done its part to help, as well. It's handing out low-interest loans for military spending and relaxed debt restrictions to make room for bigger defense budgets.
Of course, this isn't all because of Trump.
Vladimir Putin helped wake Europe up to its defensive deficiencies by invading Ukraine. But Trump deserves his share of credit, too.
Regardless of how upset the continent is about Greenland.
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However, it seems like Rutte's embrace of Trump may have helped there, too.
"I had a very good telephone call with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, concerning Greenland," President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees!"
Since then, Trump has walked back his threats regarding the Arctic territory and now boasts of a "framework of a future deal."
"People thought I would use force," Trump said at Davos. "I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force."
That's a relief.
It also means Europe can turn its attention back to Russia's invasion.
Indeed, Trump's dealmaking hasn't achieved as much in Ukraine, but at least Europe knows it has to tend to its own backyard.
They're more capable of doing that these days — largely because of Trump's badgering — but there's still a long way to go.
Like I said, Europe spent decades standing idly by while its defense industrial capacity atrophied.
In many ways, America did the same in the post-Cold War era.
But again, Trump has made a point to remedy that.
And a few up-and-coming defense tech stars are profiting as a result. You can find out more about them here.
Fight on,
Jason Simpkins
Simpkins is the founder and editor of Secret Stock Files, an investment service that focuses on companies with assets — tangible resources and products that can hold and appreciate in value. He covers mining companies, energy companies, defense contractors, dividend payers, commodities, staples, legacies and more... He also serves as editor of The Crow's Nest where he analyzes investments beyond the scope of the defense sector.
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