Trump scolds NATO members

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters): US President Donald Trump berated fellow NATO members on Monday for not contributing enough to the alliance while maintaining a trade surplus with the United States.

On the eve of his departure for the NATO summit being held on Wednesday and Thursday, Trump linked two well-worn gripes: funding for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and other countries' trade practices.

"The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other Country. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable. While these countries have been increasing their contributions since I took office, they must do much more," Trump wrote on Twitter.

In another tweet, the Republican president complained about Europe's trade surplus with the United States.

Trump has slapped tariffs on billions of dollars worth of steel and aluminum imports from China, the European Union, Canada and others, prompting retaliation against US products. He is considering extending the levies to the auto sector.

Trump has been a harsh critic of NATO since the 2016 presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced on Monday Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee for the Supreme Court, picking a conservative federal appeals court judge who survived a previous tough Senate confirmation battle and helped investigate Democratic former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

His extensive record on the bench and in prior Washington jobs means the 53-year-old conservative federal appeals court judge promises to attract a barrage of questions during what is likely to be a contentious US Senate confirmation process.

A senior White House aide under Republican former President George W. Bush who previously worked for Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who investigated Democratic former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, Kavanaugh faced a long confirmation battle when Bush nominated him to his current post in 2003.

Democrats painted him as too partisan, but he ultimately was confirmed by the Senate three years later.