Trump’s lack of faith in NATO stokes concern for America’s continued commitment to the 75-year-old alliance– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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TRUMP ‘NOT SO SURE’ NATO WOULD PROTECT US: In his ongoing like-hate relationship with NATO, President Donald Trump fired off another series of brickbats Thursday, casting doubt on the trans-Atlantic alliance’s core commitment, namely that an attack on one is an attack on all.
“The biggest problem I have with NATO,” Trump said during another executive order signing press event, “[is] if the United States was in trouble and we called them, we said, ‘We got a problem. France, we got a problem.’ A couple of others I won’t mention. Do you think they’re going to come and protect us? They’re supposed to. I’m not so sure.”
The offhand comment reflects Trump’s long-standing disdain for the most successful military alliance in history, which he continues to see as a group of freeloading nations, failing to pay their fair share of defense costs. “It’s very unfair what’s been happening. Until I came along, we were paying close to 100% of NATO,” Trump said, repeating one of the many claims he makes about NATO that can easily be proven false.
