Speaking at a South Carolina Campaign rally on Saturday, Donald Trump said what no American seeking the presidency should ever say. The former president told the crowd of supporters that he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO ally that was not spending two percent of their gross domestic product on defense. Trump's comments came when he began talking about the amount of money America sends to allied nations to boost their defense, including money spent on Ukraine.
Trump was recounting a story from when he was in office when he was asked a question by a leader of a "big country" if the United States would follow through with its NATO obligations and defend it if it were to be attacked by Russia. Trump told the crowd that not only would he not protect them, but that he would encourage Russia to do whatever it wanted.
“I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recalled. “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”
The full readout of Trump's comments was summarized by my RedState colleague and fellow Veteran, Streiff. There is no defending Trump's statements in this case. It is one thing to tell the leader of a supposed allied nation that American forces would only defend that nation if it were to be attacked on the condition that the allied nation paid its bills. However, it is another thing entirely to recount that scenario in public, which is televised and or covered by news media, for the entire world to see. Both scenarios are completely wrong; however, to do that in public shatters the balance of power and peace in the world.
The idea that an American president would encourage Putin "to do whatever the hell they want" is repulsive. Putin isn't the only one hearing the invitation. So is Xi. So are the Iranian mullahs. So are our allies in places like South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan.
The entire world was listening and watching Trump say what he did, and everyone is now asking themselves, "Can we depend on America to do what is morally and justifiably right, or is America now only your friend if you pay for it?" On the other hand, are America's adversaries thinking they can do "whatever the hell they please" if the price is right? What Trump did was more than repulsive, it was morally repugnant. The defense of Trump, saying that he was just recounting a story of how he stuck it to those cheap NATO bastards that don't pay, or something similar to those words, in a private meeting of NATO members is both weak and failing to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Regardless of whether Trump, or any American President for that matter, privately tells a group of allied world leaders that our military support is in any way conditional on their finances, it makes us look like mercenaries instead of a force of good that will come to your aid whether you are rich or poor. A private meeting is intimate, and for a president to say that would immediately and permanently cause our allies to question our moral standing and would make it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to forge a unified alliance in times of trouble.
When you then publicly tell the world about that, like streiff mentioned, all our enemies take note as well. They now know that if Trump were to be elected, they could push the boundaries of peace. Would Russia or China use that as a tactic to invade? I am smart enough to say that I do not know the answer, but that is not the point. The point is that Trump made us look not like the nation that anyone could count on, regardless of financial status; rather, he made us look like the mobsters portrayed in the movie, "Goodfellas." The point needs to be hammered home here -- American loyalty to our NATO allies should always be unconditional and unwavering. There will come a time again when America will need our NATO allies, like we asked for after September 11th, 2001. Do we want them to come help, no questions asked, or do we want a world where they ask to see our bank statements first, along with a credit check?
There is no defending what Trump said both privately and publicly about our NATO allies. It was one thing for Trump to come in like a CEO and start telling NATO members who weren't living up to their end of the bargain to start paying up. Yes, according to a NATO report from July of 2023, only 11 nations out of the 30-nation (at the time) alliance had hit the two percent minimum benchmark. However, the big detail that the average American fails to recognize is that the expenditure of at least 2 percent of each country's GDP is NOT a requirement; rather, it is a recommended goal. So Trump trying to force members to pay up is not a good look. How about we as a nation get back to just leading by example and being a good friend and neighbor to our allies?
