[Eagles6]

"NATO was busted until I came along,” Trump said at a rally in Conway, South Carolina. “I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”

Trump said “one of the presidents of a big country” at one point asked him whether the US would still defend the country if they were invaded by Russia even if they “don’t pay.”

“No, I would not protect you,” Trump recalled telling that president. “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”

[Dr. Franklin]

“No, I would not protect you,” Trump recalled telling that president. “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”

More outrageous hyperbole from Trump, and he admits in his book that he is a master at that. It's part of his negotiating strategy, and he is right to insist that Europe starts paying to defend itself from Russia. Privately, Trump would tell Putin not to cross any borders or face consequences, and those consequences might also be exaggerated for good effect. Trump has said that he told Putin he would bomb the Kremlin if Russia invaded Ukraine. Trump likes to keep people guessing a bit. Nixon did the same.