US President Joe Biden sharply criticized Donald Trump on Tuesday for comments questioning future support for NATO allies in the event of an attack, calling them “un-American”, “dangerous” and “stupid”. .
Trump, who will likely face Biden in November’s presidential election, was criticized for suggesting at a campaign rally last weekend that he would abandon NATO members who fail to meet their policy commitments. of defense spending, and that it would even encourage aggressors like Russia to “do what they want.”
“Can you imagine a former president of the United States saying that? Biden said at the White House, where he delivered a speech urging Republicans in the US House of Representatives to pass a Senate-passed aid bill to fund Ukraine’s efforts to prevent the Russian invasion which has lasted for two years.
“For God’s sake, it’s stupid, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous, it’s un-American,” he added.
One of NATO’s core principles is Article 5, which commits to collective defense and the vow that an attack on one member is an attack on all and will result in allied action.
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But Trump has often lamented that other members are not doing their part by failing to meet the alliance’s commitment to spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense. Trump equated this non-binding commitment to member dues, suggesting that members are turning away from the U.S. military and openly questioning the value of the postwar military alliance.
“Donald Trump treats this like it’s a burden,” Biden said. “When he looks at NATO, he doesn’t see the alliance that protects America and the world. He sees a protection racket.
He pointed out that Article 5 has only been invoked once in NATO’s 70-year history, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Trump doubled down on his criticism of NATO on Tuesday, posting to his Truth Social account shortly after Biden said “NATO countries need to pay.” They don’t care about the United States.”
For years, Canada failed to meet the 2 percent GDP target, as did other members. Only Poland, which has mostly been under Russian control since the late 18th century, spends more on defense than the United States within the alliance.
Linking Trump’s comments to the current fight in Congress over aid to Ukraine, Biden said Republicans risk bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wishes to see NATO fracture and Ukraine lose its most essential source of funding in wartime.
The United States missed out on congressionally approved aid for Kiev in December, and the White House has been pushing for lawmakers to greenlight $60 billion in new aid as well as billions more for Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
The Senate passed the aid Tuesday morning as part of a $95.34 billion supplemental package, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said he will not pass the bill because it does not include the drastic immigration policy changes his party is calling for. A version of the bill that included many of these policy changes was rejected last week by Republican opposition encouraged by Trump.
Biden said Trump’s comments on NATO made it more urgent to pass the new aid immediately.
“No other president in our history has ever bowed to a Russian dictator,” Biden said. “Well, let me say this as clearly as possible: I never will.”
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