Trump - NATO
While in office, Trump -- who was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election -- often expressed doubts about the need for NATO and repeatedly threatened to pull out of the alliance if members did not pay what he considered their fair share for their defense. The principle of collective defense -- the idea that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all and would trigger collective self-defense action -- is enshrined in Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty. It is considered the hallmark of the NATO alliance.
Donald Trump on 12 April 2017 declared the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "no longer obsolete," three months after he said the alliance had outlived its usefulness because it had not defended against terrorist attacks. "The secretary general and I had a productive discussion about what more NATO can do in the fight against terrorism," Trump said at a joint news conference with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. "I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism. I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete."
Donald Trump, who seemed likely to be the Republican Party's candidate to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the presidential race, threatened on 10 February 2024, if he wins a new term, not to defend NATO countries that do not allocate a sufficient share of their budget to defense, even indicating that he will "encourage" Russia to attack her. Under Article Five of the Treaty establishing the Alliance, any attack on any of its member states is considered an attack on the entire Alliance and requires a joint response from it.
Trump said on 10 February 2024 that he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell it wants" to any NATO member state that "doesn't pay enough into the alliance's budget." Speaking during a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump said: “I did the same thing with NATO, and I made them pay. NATO was bankrupt until I came in. I said everyone would pay. They said: ‘Well, if we don’t pay, will you still protect us?’” Trump said, speaking during a rally in Conway, South Carolina. “I said absolutely not. They couldn’t believe the response.”
He added: "One of the heads of a large country stood up and said: Well, sir, if we do not pay and we are attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said: You did not pay, you are late. He said: 'Yes, suppose that happened.'" (He said "Trump: No, I'm not going to protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You have to pay. (Then) the money flows."
While it is true that most NATO countries have not met the Alliance's goal of each country spending at least 2% of GDP on defense affairs, the 2% is what NATO calls a “guideline.” It is not a binding contract. It does not establish obligations, and in this sense NATO members have not failed to pay their share of the common budget.
The White House later called Trump's comments "appalling" and praised President Joe Biden's efforts to strengthen NATO. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, "Encouraging attacks on our closest allies...is horrific and disturbing, and puts American national security, global stability, and our economy at home at risk."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against the statements of former US President Donald Trump, noting that they "undermine the security" of the alliance. "Any proposal whereby allies refrain from defending each other undermines the security of all of us, including the United States, and exposes American and European soldiers to increased danger," Stoltenberg said in a statement. Stoltenberg stressed in his statement that “NATO will remain ready and able to defend all allies,” adding that “any attack on NATO will provoke a unified and strong response.” He continued: "I am convinced that the United States will remain a strong and committed ally within NATO, regardless of who wins the presidential elections."
European Council President Charles Michel described former US President Donald Trump's statements about NATO as "reckless." Michel said on the “X” platform: “NATO has supported the security and prosperity of Americans, Canadians and Europeans for 75 years,” adding that “reckless statements about NATO security and solidarity under Article Five only serve the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin and do not achieve more security.” And peace to the world." Michel considered that Article Five reaffirms the need for the European Union to work urgently to develop its strategic independence, and to invest in the production of weapons for its defense.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and other European defense and foreign ministers on February 12 joined a torrent of criticism over former U.S. President Donald Trump's comment downplaying the U.S. commitment to NATO's security umbrella in Europe. "Let's be serious. NATO cannot be an a la carte military alliance, it cannot be a military alliance that works depending on the humor of the president of the U.S." day to day, Borrell said after Trump suggested that under his administration the United States might not defend NATO allies that failed to spend enough on defense. Borrell added that he would not keep commenting on "any silly idea" emerging from the U.S. presidential election campaign. Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said Trump's comment was "exactly what Putin loves to hear." Ollongren also noted that most NATO allies were close to or had reached the target budget spending on defense of 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2024. NATO allies agreed to the goal in 2014. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed other EU leaders, saying the statements "are irresponsible and even play into Russia's hands."
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