Donald Trump again targets NATO, says he'll support member nations if they 'treat the US fairly'
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that, if he is reelected, the United States will come to the aid of NATO nations should they be attacked. But he emphasized his stipulation that those nations must play "fairly" with financing the military alliance.
"NATO has to treat the U.S. fairly, because if not for the United States, NATO literally doesn't even exist," Trump said in an interview with conservative British politician Nigel Farage.
Trump did not define "fairly," but has said repeatedly throughout his political career that NATO members need to contribute more money for military defense. NATO members are asked to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. Not all members have reached this goal, fueling Trump's criticism of the alliance.
In the interview broadcast Tuesday, when Farage asked Trump if he would help in case a NATO country like Poland is attacked, the Republican presidential candidate said he would, but added a caveat.
“Yea," he said, "but ... the United States should pay its fair share, not everybody else's fair share."
“We're not going to defend you. If you're not paying your bills, we're not going to defend you," the former president added.
Trump's periodic threats to essentially break up the U.S.-European military alliance have become an issue in the 2024 election, with President Joe Biden and the Democrats describing him as shaking global stability.
Trump stepped up his criticism of NATO during a Feb. 10 campaign stop in South Carolina, with the former president saying he once told an unnamed European leader that the U.S. wouldn't help if Russia attacked and NATO members had not paid their fair share. He added that he might "encourage" Russia to invade under those circumstances.
“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."
Trump then added: "In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want."
The former president has also long drawn criticism for positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, a foe of NATO, and for his skepticism about U.S. aid to Ukraine, the target of a Russian invasion.
After Trump's stunning remarks in South Carolina, Biden and other Democratic leaders began making NATO a campaign issue.
"The former president has set a dangerous and shockingly, frankly, un-American signal to the world," Biden said last month.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump again hits NATO, will support allies if they treat US 'fairly'
