Donald Trump really wants to be back in the White House in a year. In the election campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in the USA, the ex-president is already going all out, mocking his internal party rival Nikki Haley and inciting the Republicans in the US Congress to adopt a blockade policy. Now he has also made NATO an issue.
At a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump threatened defaulting members of the defense alliance that he would not provide them with military assistance as US President if they were attacked. The “president of a great country” once asked him whether the United States would still protect this country from Russia even if it did not pay for defense spending, Trump said. He replied: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.” What’s more, he would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.”
When Trump described this dialogue, it remained unclear whether such a conversation had ever taken place between him and another head of state. Because the Republican also said, “Let’s assume that’s what happened.”
Is it all just campaign ammunition and saber rattling for his supporters? One thing is clear: Trump has long been skeptical of NATO. He had repeatedly emphasized how unfair it was that the USA had to pay for the defense of the 30 other member states.
Immediate response from the White House
The White House in Washington countered Trump’s comments and pointed to the US government’s efforts to strengthen global alliances. “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and crazy,” spokesman Andrew Bates said Saturday evening. Instead of calling for wars and promoting “deranged chaos,” US President Joe Biden will “continue to strengthen American leadership.”
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg (end of January in Washington): “Trump’s criticism has arrived”Image: picture alliance/Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA
During a recent visit to Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg countered fears that the outcome of the US election could endanger the future of the defense alliance. Stoltenberg told the US broadcaster CNN at the end of January that he worked with Trump for four years during his presidency and listened to him carefully. Trump’s main criticism, that the allies are spending too little on NATO, has been received. They have significantly increased their defense spending in recent years.
After Russia’s annexation of Crimea ten years ago, NATO members agreed to spend two percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. Germany also did not fulfill this obligation for a long time.
Trump, who ruled in the White House from 2017 to 2021, repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the defense alliance. As the “Washington Post” reported, he already mentioned a NATO meeting at an event in 2022, which was said to have discussed the issue of assistance only if paid. Accordingly, he told NATO partners that he would not stick to the alliance’s defense commitment if the countries did not spend more on their defense budget. Trump’s words on Saturday are an escalation of that threat, according to the Washington Post.
NATO and migration as election campaign topics
The Republican wants to be re-elected president this November and is fighting for his candidacy in his party’s primaries. Among other things, he advertises that he wants to continue a fundamental reassessment of NATO. At the campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump also announced again that he would deport people on a large scale.
Trump campaigner in South Carolina: saber rattling for his supporters? Image: Julia Nikhinson/AFP
Illegal immigration is one of the dominant issues in the US election campaign. A frequently used argument on the Republican side is that taxpayers’ money should not be spent on protecting other countries – such as Ukraine – but on protecting their own borders.
Trump’s Republicans have been blocking the release of additional billions in aid for Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, for months. On Wednesday, a legislative package that included support for Israel and Taiwan and billions for US border security as well as around $60 billion (56 billion euros) in new aid for the government in Kiev failed in the Senate.
AR/se (dpa, afp, rtr)