Trump has a reputation for making claims and comments that may seem bewildering out of any other politician’s mouth, yet are somehow unsurprising when he says them—many of his quotes being overly exaggerated and incredibly controversial, garnering massive media attention. Aptly referred to as “Trumpisms,” his absurd lack of filter when it comes to his responses has recently struck again as Trump continues to build momentum for his campaign.
On Saturday night (February 10th), during one of his campaign rallies in Conway, South Carolina, Trump related a conversation between himself and who he said was a significant NATO ally, in which he stated that if a NATO member didn’t meet the defense spending guidelines, then he’d let Russia “do anything” to them.
“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?’” Trump recounted.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?... No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills,’” he responded.
Photo from NBC News
Donald Trump speaking at his campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina
And while most of Trump’s comments generally aren’t a direct reflection of his policy beliefs, this comment stoked a large amount of angry responses, especially at a time when many European nations were worried about their own national security during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Any perceived lack of commitment to NATO on the U.S. side could encourage more Russian overstepping of border boundaries. Many European leaders have criticized his statements:
“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” NATO Secretary General Jan Stoltenberg said in reaction to Trump’s comments.
Photo from Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Jens Stoltenberg, left, speaks with Donald Trump during a NATO summit in 2018
The White House has even denounced his statements as “unhinged”:
“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,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.
On the other hand, Florida Senator Marco Rubio on CNN’s “State of the Union” stated that others misunderstood Trump’s intentions. “That’s not how I view that statement,” he told host Jake Tapper. Rubio said Trump was simply using a story from his presidency to air his grievances about NATO. “He doesn’t talk like a traditional politician,” once again referring to Trump’s, well, Trumpisms.
Initially created after World War II as a response to the growing power of the Soviet Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization now has 31 member states. Article 5 of the treaty states that an attack on any of the member states will be considered an attack on them all—this article was invoked after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. As for defense spending, NATO members have agreed to spend 2% of their GDP as a target figure, but it is certainly not a required amount. And while some nations do fall short of the guideline, they’ve been upping their spending, “with European allies and Canada increasing spending for eight consecutive years” (Politico).
Trump has always been critical of NATO, claiming that it takes advantage of the U.S. military power and taxpayer money without giving anything in return, despite its involvement with U.S. military operations overseas post-9/11 and giving the U.S. ability to keep a close eye on other parts of the world (most notably Russia and China) through the military alliance. His denouncement of NATO and U.S. ties to the treaty can have profound effects on the current Russo-Ukrainian conflict and NATO’s attempts to keep Russia and China in check, especially if he is re-elected for a second term and withdraws from the organization, as Trump’s past national security adviser John Bolton says he might do.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/11/trump-nato-remarks-democrats-putin-00140848
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/europe/trump-nato-putin-europe-analysis-intl/index.html
https://cnn.com/2024/02/11/politics/rubio-trump-nato-haley-husband-national-guard-cnntv/index.html
Emily Ren
