Trump says he would 'encourage Russia to do whatever it wants' with NATO if Europeans don't spend more on defense

Vladimir Putin has received encouraging news in the town of Conway, a municipality of 22,000 residents in South Carolina. This news comes from former US president and presidential candidate Donald Trump, who recently stated that he would support Russia’s actions if a European leader did not increase their contribution to NATO. Trump’s statement has raised concerns among European and Asian allies, as it suggests that he may consider removing the United States from the Atlantic Alliance. While withdrawing from NATO would require significant congressional support, Trump does have the authority to make decisions regarding Article 5, which guarantees mutual protection among Alliance members.

Trump’s comments have once again highlighted the anxieties of European and Asian allies, who fear the potential consequences of Chinese expansionism. Furthermore, these statements were met with applause by his supporters, despite being a series of falsehoods that Trump has been propagating since he entered politics in 2015.

It is important to note that NATO does not have a budget, but rather a non-binding commitment from member countries to allocate a certain percentage of their GDP to defense and a portion of that amount towards the purchase of new military equipment. In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, only the United States and Great Britain met the 2% defense spending target. However, by 2023, there were 10 countries that reached this goal, including Poland, which spends the most on defense within the Alliance. This indicates a correlation between proximity to Russia and increased military spending. In terms of spending 20% of defense budgets on new military equipment, all NATO countries met this commitment in 2023, compared to only 7 in 2014.

The Republican Party has responded to Trump’s statements by largely ignoring them. Senator Marco Rubio, who used to have significant influence in Trump’s administration, downplayed the importance of Trump’s views, emphasizing that he does not adhere to traditional political rhetoric and is not a member of influential think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations. Rubio also made the inaccurate claim that NATO was financially struggling until Trump took office, disregarding the fact that NATO does not require membership dues from its members.