Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to undermine Nato, repeating his threat not to protect countries he believes do not pay enough to maintain the alliance and claiming such nations “laugh at the stupidity” of the US.
On Wednesday night, at a rally in South Carolina, Trump said: “I’ve been saying, ‘Look, if they’re not going to pay, we’re not going to protect, OK?’ And [Joe] Biden who said, ‘Oh, this is so bad. This is so terrible that he would say that.’ No … nobody’s paying their bills.
“One of the heads of the countries said, ‘Does that mean that if we don’t pay the bills, that you’re not going to protect us?’ That’s exactly what it means. I’m not going to protect you.”
The next day, the former president and probable Republican nominee spoke to reporters outside court in New York City, where he attended a hearing in his criminal trial on charges regarding hush-money payments to an adult film star.
“Nato countries have to pay up,” Trump said. “They have to pay their bills. The United States is in for $200bn and they’re in for $25bn. Their economy, when you … add up the countries that make up Nato, it’s about the same size as our economy. So we’re in for $200bn, they’re in for $25bn and it’s much more important for them because we have an ocean in between [us and Russia].”
The source of Trump’s figures was not immediately clear. Members of Nato have pledged to pay at least 2% of GDP on defence each year. Nato estimates say Poland spends most, at 3.9%, with the US second on 3.5%.
On Thursday, Trump continued: “So the Nato countries have to pay up. They’re not paying up, they’re not paying what they should and they laugh at the stupidity of the United States of America, where we have a guy that gives $60bn every time somebody comes and asks for it. We shouldn’t be doing that. They’re laughing at us. They think we’re the stupid country because of our leadership.”
The US Senate this week approved $60bn aid for Ukraine (which is not a Nato member) in its fight against the Russia invasion, a move welcomed by Biden. But Republicans who control the US House are unlikely to approve the bill.
Last week, Trump caused outrage and alarm when he said he would encourage Russia to attack Nato members he deemed financially delinquent.
Biden expressed outrage, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday: “Can you imagine a former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. The worst thing is, he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will.
“For God’s sake, it’s dumb, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous. It’s un-American. When America gives its word it means something, so when we make a commitment, we keep it. And Nato is a sacred commitment.”
Bloomberg News reported that Trump allies preparing for a possible second term “have discussed essentially a two-tiered Nato alliance, where article five – which requires common defense of any member under attack – would apply only to nations that hit defense-spending goals”.
In Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said Trump threatened to “undermine the credibility of Nato’s deterrence”.
On Thursday, Stoltenberg told reporters that defence investment among member nations was “on the right track”.
“We are 31 democratic nations on both sides of the Atlantic,” Stoltenberg said. “And as long as this alliance has existed, there have been different views and discussions.”
Saying he was “confident that Nato will remain the strongest and most successful alliance in history”, Stoltenberg added: “I expect the United States to continue to be a staunch ally.”
