Former President Donald Trump addressed his stance on NATO, emphasizing the need for member nations to contribute more to NATO’s collective defense and meet the 2% minimum GDP defense investment guideline.
Trump’s comments, made through a statement on Truth Social, highlighted his previous efforts to pressure countries to increase their defense spending and implied that without his leadership, NATO’s equalization is at risk.
“When I told the 20 Countries that weren’t paying their fair share that they had to PAY UP, and said without doing that you will not have U.S. Military Protection, the money came rolling in,” Trump said.
Donald Trump has said he would 'encourage' Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills. https://t.co/skp3jzdZXT pic.twitter.com/Z2dh30u400
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 11, 2024
“After so many years of the United States picking up the tab, it was a beautiful sight to see. But now, without me there to say YOU MUST PAY, they are at it again. We are into helping Ukraine for more than 100 Billion Dollars more than NATO,” he said.
“We have nobody that they respect, and they insist on paying far less than we do. Wrong, NATO HAS TO EQUALIZE, AND NOW. THEY WILL DO THAT IF PROPERLY ASKED. IF NOT, AMERICA FIRST! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said.
His recent remarks at an event in South Carolina, where he recounted pressuring allied countries to increase their defense spending, sparked controversy, with some interpreting his words as suggesting a willingness to neglect Article 5 duties and side with Russia in the event of an attack on a NATO ally.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’ I said, you didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? He said, ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay,” Trump said.
President Joe Biden reaffirmed the importance of NATO’s collective defense, while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley emphasized the need to avoid siding with Russia.
“The promise of NATO – that an attack on one is an attack on all – keeps American families safe,” Biden wrote on X. “It’s that simple. Any individual who calls into question the durability of that vow is a danger to our security.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Senator Marco Rubio expressed contrasting views on Trump’s comments, with Rubio defending Trump’s approach to leveraging NATO members to increase their contributions.
“What he’s basically saying is, if you see the comments, he said NATO was broke or busted until he took over because people weren’t paying their dues. And then he told the story about how he used leverage to get people to step up to the plate and become more active in NATO,” Sen. Marco Rubio said.
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