Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who served during the George W. Bush administration and was a prominent advocate for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, shared his take on the Iran war this week. Fleischer’s rhetoric aligned closely with claims by both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that NATO countries aren’t adequately supporting U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Fleischer wrote on Friday: “When this is over, the western part of NATO will never be the same. Spain, England, France and Italy have sold us out, as they too often have a history of doing. Eastern European nations are the heart of NATO. They spend money on defense, know how to fight and love the US.
“France particularly deserves fault and blame. From supporting China and Russia at the UN to denying Americans overflight rights, they’re doing what they’ve always done – showing weakness, while cutting deals with terrorists. (The reason the US has a Marine Corps and Navy is unlike France, we refused to pay a ransom to the Barbary Pirates. France is always happy to cut a deal.)
“Wars have unintended consequences as nations show their true colors. NATO will never be the same, and Western European weakness and acquiescence is the cause.”
[NOTE: Unlike the current American and Israeli attacks on Iran, prior to the American invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration put together what it termed a “coalition of the willing,” with the State Department in March 2023 listing 32 countries that participated in the U.S.-led coalition. Fleischer no doubt remembers that France and Germany did not participate.]
Trump critic and former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) replied to Fleischer: “Ari you are insane. You can’t blame Trump for anything. Including spending a lifetime crapping on our friends.”
Ari you are insane. You can’t blame Trump for anything. Including spending a lifetime crapping on our friends.
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)
(@AdamKinzinger) April 4, 2026
British SDP Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Henry Bolton OBE also replied: “People like @AriFleischer are either immensely stupid, appallingly badly informed or incredibly dishonest.
“1) Anyone can read the North Atlantic Charter (NATO Treaty) – just google it – and see for themselves that NATO cannot be mobilised for this war. 2) When has the UK sold the United States out? Never. The US has sold us out though, a few times. 3) UK bases are being used daily for strikes on Iran. 4) If you wanted allied support in this war, perhaps it would have been wise to a) asked them b) involve them in the planning for it, rather than just start a war on your own and then demand we get involved. Ari, you are doing the American people no favours by misleading them.”
The Economist‘s defense editor Shashank Joshi replied: “Curious to hear which E European countries have opened their base to US planes, as at Fairford and Diego Garcia, and which ones are currently shooting down drones over the GCC. Might have missed it.”
[NOTE: According to NATO’s official 2025 defense expenditure data, all 32 current members are spending at least 2% of GDP on defense. None fall below the target. The lowest (at exactly 2%) include Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Spain.]
