President Trump reversed his past criticism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday, saying at a joint press conference with NATO's secretary general that the alliance is "no longer obsolete."
"I said it was obsolete; it's no longer obsolete," Trump said after noting that he and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed how NATO could ramp up its efforts fighting terrorism.
Trump said he previously "complained" about NATO not focusing on or contributing enough to "the fight against terrorism," adding that the alliance "made a change" and now "fight[s] terrorism."
Trump also said he hopes NATO will contribute more to help the Iraqi government fight the Islamic State terrorist group.
Both Trump and Stoltenberg said they had a positive and "productive" meeting in the Oval Office, where they agreed all NATO member states must meet the requirement to spend two percent of their GDP on defense, according to the president.
"If other countries pay their fair share instead of relying on the United States to make up the difference, we will all be much more secure, and our partnership will be made that much stronger," Trump said.
Trump's comments Wednesday marked a stark contrast from his stance on NATO during the presidential campaign.
"I said here's the problem with NATO: it's obsolete," Trump told the New York Times in April 2016, recounting comments he made at a campaign event the prior night. "Big statement to make when you don't know that much about it, but I learn quickly."
Trump also thanked NATO members on Wednesday for supporting his decision last Thursday to order military strikes on a Syrian government airfield, from which the U.S. government believes the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical weapons attack that killed over 80 civilians two days earlier.