Donald Trump declared that he doesn’t believe NATO would “be there” for the U.S. if the country were to be attacked.
The former president, at a Las Vegas rally on Saturday, knocked Joe Biden’s push for a bipartisan Senate deal on border security that’s linked to Ukraine aid, claiming that it’s designed to “continue the invasion of America while sending billions of dollars” to other countries.
He went on to claim that the U.S. has provided ”$200 billion-plus” to Ukraine while European nations “are in for $20 billion,” disregarding the facts on aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in Feb. 2022.
“We’re spending – we’re paying for NATO and we don’t get so much out of it,” said the GOP front-runner, who once called NATO “obsolete” and has campaigned on finishing “the process” of re-evaluating the purpose and mission of NATO.
“And you know, I hate to tell you this about NATO – if we ever needed their help, let’s say we were attacked, I don’t believe they’d be there. I don’t believe. I know the people. I know ’em. I can tell you country by country who would be there and who – but I don’t believe they’d be there.”
Journalist Aaron Rupar, who shared a clip of Trump’s remarks, pointed out that NATO invoked Article 5 in its founding treaty for the first time following the 9/11 attacks. The article describes an “armed attack against one” member as an attack against them all.