Trump Said As President He Warned NATO Ally: U.S. Will Not Defend Those Delinquent on Payments
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Donald Trump recounted a conversation he had with a NATO leader while President on Saturday, in which he said the U.S. would not protect a NATO ally delinquent on dues.
Direct Quote: “I did the same thing with NATO. I got them to pay up. NATO was busted until I came along. I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay are you going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’… You never saw more money pour in….” Trump added, “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… ‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.’”
For Context: Trump’s comments came amidst gripes over the disparity between European and U.S. aid to Ukraine, and how Ukraine can sever ties with NATO for a closer relationship with Russia at any time.
White House Response: White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home.”
How The Media Covered It: Most media across the spectrum framed headlines around Trump’s “whatever the hell they want” comment, but made it clear it was relative to delinquent payments. Some outlets, like Forbes (Center bias) and The Atlantic (Left bias) published sensational headlines pegged on the news, but were actually for opinion commentary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances.
Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance’s defense spending targets.
But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member...
From the Center
Trump says he would 'encourage' Russia to attack Nato allies who do not pay their billsDonald Trump has said he would "encourage" Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance.
At a rally on Saturday, he said he had once told a leader he would not protect a nation behind on its payments, and would "encourage" the aggressors to "do whatever the hell they want".
Members of Nato commit to defend any nation in the bloc that gets attacked.
The White House called the comments "appalling and unhinged".
Addressing crowds during the rally in...
From the Right
Trump said he would encourage Russia to do 'whatever the hell' it wants to Nato allies who don't pay upDonald Trump said on Saturday that as president, he warned Nato allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances.
Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Mr Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified Nato member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance’s defence spending targets.
But this time, Mr Trump went further, saying...
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