Former President Donald Trump said during a rally that he would “encourage” Russia to go after NATO countries despite the U.S. being one of the founding countries of the alliance.
Trump’s South Carolina story
During a rally held on February 10 in South Carolina, Trump talked about NATO and bills, telling the crowd, “NATO was busted until I came along,” and explaining, “said, ‘Everybody’s going to pay.’ They said, ‘Well if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”
Trump on Russia
The 45th president continued, “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.” Trump concluded, “You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”
An attack on one is an attack on all
The alliance was formed after WWII, and Article 5 states that an attack on one member of NATO would signal an attack on all. According to reports from 2019, Trump considered pulling the U.S. from NATO, and the rumors were fueled by 2022 statements made by former National Security Adviser John Bolton in an interview with The Washington Post.
Bolton discussed the issue recently
During his MSNBC appearance, Bolton said that Trump “feels strongly” about pulling the U.S. from NATO, adding, “He thinks the Europeans still aren’t paying their fair share, he thinks they have negotiated very negative trade deals with us, I think he’s looking forward to getting out of NATO.”
Breton quoted Trump
During a Davos meeting in January 2020, Thierry Breton, a French commissioner, quoted Trump telling him, “You need to understand that if Europe is under attack, we will never come to help you and to support you.” Breton added that Trump allegedly told him, “And by the way, you owe me $400 billion because you didn’t pay, you Germans, what you had to pay for defense.”
Congress on Trump’s way
Even if he won the 2024 elections, Trump could not simply withdraw the U.S. from NATO since, in December 2023, Congress passed legislation blocking a president from removing the U.S. from the organization without congressional cooperation.
Trump on foreign aid
The Senate voted to push a $95.3 billion package with funding for Ukraine and Israel on February 9. Trump said during his rally, “They want to give like almost $100 billion to a few countries, $100 billion.” He then asked, “I said, ‘Why do we do this? If you do, you give them, not $100 billion, you give it to ‘em as a loan.'”
War in Ukraine
Following his claims he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, President of Ukraine Zelensky had a message for Trump, “Please, Donald Trump, I invite you to Ukraine, to Kyiv. If you can stop the war during 24 hours, I think it will be [reason] enough to come.” He added, “Maybe Donald Trump really has some idea, a real idea, and he can share it with me.”
The backlash
Following the Conway rally, Chris Christie, former New Jersey Governor, stated that Trump’s comments were “consistent with his love for dictators.” White House also commented on Trump’s remarks, calling them “appalling and unhinged.”
Trump gets fack-checked
“Since the outbreak of the war, the United States has provided around 75 billion U.S. dollars. Other Allies and partners have provided over $100 billion,” confirmed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during his speech to the Heritage Foundation. He explained, “American jobs depend on American sales to defense markets in Europe and Canada.”
Schiff on Trump’s remarks
Adam Schiff, a Democratic lawmaker, slammed Trump’s comments and said they “would be enough to make [former Republican President Ronald] Reagan ill,” adding, “He’s more interested in aggrandizing himself and pleasing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin than protecting our allies.”
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant also blasted Trump
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling wrote on X, “Trump just doesn’t understand NATO or Russia, and he is endangering all of Europe with this incredibly dumb statement.”
Historian weighs in
“Trump still doesn’t understand how NATO works, he still thinks allies “owe money,” and he’s sending a signal to Russia to attack them while the crowd cheers. An invitation to broaden the war,” wrote on X Anne Applebaum, a historian and author.
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