Posted on 01/28/2024 7:39:07 PM PST by Kazan
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump has said that he does not believe NATO would come to the United States’ rescue if it came under attack, once again voicing his disdain for the military bloc.
“We’re paying for NATO, and we don’t get so much out of it,” Trump said on Saturday, speaking to a crowd of supporters at a presidential campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“And you know – I hate to tell you this about NATO – if we ever needed their help, let’s say we were attacked, I don’t believe they’d be there. I know the people,” he added.
Trump once again cast doubt on Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which says an armed attack against one member state must be considered an attack against all of them.
The recent statement follows a long history of complaints leveled by Trump at the US-led bloc during and after his presidency.
In 2017, he aroused controversy in Brussels by saying that NATO is “obsolete.”
During his time in office, he repeatedly criticized Germany and other US allies for not spending enough on their military.
Similarly, Trump criticized US President Joe Biden for providing military aid to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia.
“We don’t have ammunition for ourselves, we give away a lot,” he said last year.
Trump also promised, if re-elected, he would end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev within 24 hours and restore peace in the region.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Trump’s claim as unrealistic. Asked by NBC News in November if he believed Trump would continue to support Ukraine, Zelensky said: “I really don’t know.”
He believes that members of the NATO military alliance should spend two percent of their gross domestic income on their military budget and the United States is not committed to providing the lion’s share of the alliance military spending.
In some of his speeches during his presence at the White House, he repeatedly threatened to withdraw the US from the NATO alliance.
Trump believes that the United States should focus on solving its internal problems instead of nation-building and huge military expenditure abroad.
He has repeatedly criticized the United States military interventions in different parts of the world and believes that the current tensions in some strategic regions of the world are caused by these American military adventures.
For most part, Trump’s not wrong. I agree with his proposal to end the Russo-Ukrainian War.
He’s right. All cooperation with Europeans was simply a means for the Europeans to have the US subsidize their lifestyle so they could enjoy their socialism and not have to have bear the full costs.
“We’re paying for NATO, and we don’t get so much out of it,” Trump said on Saturday, speaking to a crowd of supporters at a presidential campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“And you know – I hate to tell you this about NATO – if we ever needed their help, let’s say we were attacked, I don’t believe they’d be there. I know the people,” he added.
Trump once again cast doubt on Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which says an armed attack against one member state must be considered an attack against all of them.
Too much truth !
No wonder the NeoCons support Biden.
I think the Aussies would be in on it too but they are not NATO. They were with us in Vietnam when the rest of the world dumped on us.
3 of our military were killed and many more injured by Iran backed Islamists. This after about 150 attacks.
What has NATO done?
I wouldn’t expect NATO to.
While Secretary General, Ismay is also credited as having been the first person to say that the purpose of NATO was “to keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down,” a saying that has since become a common way to describe the dynamics of NATO.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay,_1st_Baron_Ismay
We should immediately stop our foreign aid “giveaways”.
We also pay alot for the UN & we do NOT get much out of that, either.
I don’t think that the US feels obliged to respond to Islamist attacks on French troops in the Sahel either.
Attacks on expeditionary forces in foreign lands don’t constitute an attack on the country.
🔝🔝
Since UN employees participated in the Oct 7 attacks, then the UN “Court” accused Israel of genocide, I’d say every country out of the UN as well.
Including George W Bush
NATO’s weakness means that the US would be better served by emphasizing direct bilateral ties with select members who can be trusted, who pull their weight, and fit with US strategic needs. If done adroitly, such an approach would soon set NATO’s members competing for US favor instead of shorting their defenses while blathering about NATO unity and expecting the US to come to their rescue in a pinch.
Protection should be on a case by case basis.
This way our ‘leaders’ would have to sell the idea of war to the American people FIRST - - and WE would have some choice about what countries we feel are worth having our citizens die for.
That would also stop ‘Presidents’ like Biden from selling the lives of our young for cash kickbacks, jobs and diamonds.
The UN would be much better suited to relocate to a European country and go on about their merry business without our financial assistance.
GET OUT!
From the article: “During his time in office, he repeatedly criticized Germany and other US allies for not spending enough on their military.
Similarly, Trump criticized US President Joe Biden for providing military aid to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia.
“We don’t have ammunition for ourselves, we give away a lot,” he said last year.
Trump also promised, if re-elected, he would end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev within 24 hours and restore peace in the region.”
More reasons to vote for President Trump.
America and Americans FIRST!
It is possible the other side is putting these words into Trump’s mouth.
The other side lies. They lie all the time. They’re behind in the polls, so they are going to do everything they can to tear Trump down.
Many of you trumpboys play into the Democrat’s hands by thinking, yeah, screw NATO, screw Ukraine, screw everybody.
Trump has said that the countries of NATO have to meet their obligations (basically to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense).
In Manchester, NH, just prior to the NH primary, Trump said that Europe needs to increase its support of Ukraine. This isn’t the same thing as saying we should cut our aid.
Trump is a deal maker. He bargains. This is they approaches international relations. Maybe it’s not the best way, but it’s his way.
Trump’s positions on NATO and Ukraine are correct. EUrope should do more. But our goals should be to reform NATO, not to end NATO.
Have never thought we could rely on nato to help us if we were in need. Pipe dream.
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