Donald Trump is half-right about NATO

As tens of millions of Americans were huddled in front of their televisions to watch the Kansas City Chiefs snatch their second consecutive Super Bowl victory, Europeans across the pond — or at least European politicians responsible for the continent’s defense — were still coming to grips with what former president and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said in front of his supporters over the weekend.

During a rally on Saturday, Trump reminisced about when he told a European leader that the United States under his watch wouldn’t come to that country’s defense if it failed to meet NATO’s defense spending benchmarks. “One of the presidents of a big country stood up and 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. … No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.’”

It didn’t take long for the reactions to come pouring in. The Europeans clearly didn’t appreciate the comments, even if the remarks weren’t necessarily surprising coming from a man who has a long record of viewing alliances in transactional terms. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who had a decent working relationship with Trump, issued a stern statement warning that “any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk.” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, called Trump’s remarks “reckless” without naming the former president.

It’s hard not to sympathize. It’s never a good idea for anybody to essentially invite an aggressor country such as Russia to treat the European continent as a personal playpen. Especially so when the person in charge of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has a habit of invading other countries (see Georgia in 2008, Ukraine in 2014 and Ukraine again in 2022).

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