Former President Donald Trump can't stop talking about NATO recently after making comments at a South Carolina rally over the weekend that President Joe Biden called "un-American."
Trump received criticism from the White House, the media, and prominent U.S. figures after threatening to withdraw support from NATO countries who did not pay their dues. He added that he would "encourage" countries like Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to member states of the military alliance.
Biden said in a White House speech on Tuesday that Trump's remarks "sent a dangerous, and shockingly, frankly, un-American signal to the world."
"Can you imagine? A former president of the United States saying that. The whole world heard it, and the worst thing is he means it," he continued. "No other president in history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will."
On Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his comments about making NATO countries pay their dues.
He wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, "Could somebody please inform our uninformable President that NATO has to pay their bills! They are right now paying a small fraction of what we are for the Disaster in Ukraine which, if we had a real President, would never have happened.
"There is probably a $150 Billion difference. They should equalize with the U.S. - FAST! The European Nations, when combined, have approximately the same size Economy as we do. They have the money. PAY UP!"
Newsweek reached out to Trump's and Biden's campaigns via email for comment.
Each NATO country contributes to the military alliance's common funds. The amount that a member puts in is based on its Gross National Income.
Trump's remarks came from a rant he went on during a rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday. He started off by suggesting that U.S. aid should be given in loans.
He then went into an anecdote from his time as president: "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. You've never saw more money pour in.
"They asked me that question, one of the presidents of a big country, stood up, said, 'Well sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us?' I said, 'You didn't pay, you're delinquent?' He said, 'yes.' Let's say that happened. No, I would not protect you, in fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want."
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
