In a speech Saturday Trump criticized the U.S. financial support of non-paying NATO nations.
Topline
Former President Donald Trump managed to distract attention from President Joe Biden—whose cognitive abilities face increased attention after a special counsel’s recent report—by attacking alleged non-paying NATO nations Saturday, saying he would encourage Russia “do whatever the hell they want” if other coalition members didn’t pay more, drawing immediate condemnation from foreign allies.Key Facts
During a campaign rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump said he did not want to financially support NATO nations, even if they were attacked by Russia, “they said ‘if we don’t pay are you still going to protect us,’ I said absolutely not,” Trump said.
As in the past, Trump mischaracterizes the issue—there is no debt to NATO—and is likely referring to some NATO members not meeting their pledge to spend 2% of their GDP on defense spending, an ongoing internal dispute among NATO nations.
