Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, once again revealed a profit-and-loss-based view of alliances toward North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies.
According to CNN, former President Trump said in a speech in Conway, South Carolina on the 10th (local time), “NATO was broken before I showed up,” and “I said (to NATO allies), ‘Everyone is going to have to pay.’” did.
During his tenure, former President Trump pressured world allies, including NATO, to raise their share of the burden, revealing a view of alliances from a strictly profit-and-loss perspective. His actions run counter to President Joe Biden, who has emphasized the importance of alliances.
Last year, the U.S. Republican Party proposed a bill requiring the defense contributions of major allies, including South Korea and Japan as well as NATO, to be evaluated and reported to Congress every year. It was interpreted as a move in preparation for former President Trump's election in this year's presidential election.
In his speech that day, former President Trump claimed that in response to his ‘demand for payment’, NATO allies asked, ‘If we don’t pay, will you protect us?’ He reportedly responded that he would ‘never do that.’
Former President Trump went on to say that the president of an unspecified country asked him, ‘If Russia invades, even if we don’t pay, will you protect us?’ He said, ‘No. He reportedly replied, ‘I will not protect you.’
He continued, “In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever the hell they want,” adding that he used this logic to pressure other countries to pay money.
As soon as these remarks became known, the White House immediately began criticizing them. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement, "Encouraging a murderous regime to invade our closest ally is horrific and destabilizing."
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