Biden on Trump’s NATO threat
“The worst thing is that he is serious”
February 14, 2024, 4:58 a.m
As is well known, Donald Trump is not a friend of NATO. During the election campaign, he shocked people by announcing that he would accuse Putin of defaulting alliance partners. President Biden commented sharply on the statements.
US President Joe Biden has sharply criticized his predecessor Donald Trump’s recent statements about NATO. “For God’s sake, that’s stupid, that’s shameful, that’s dangerous, that’s un-American,” Biden told a televised address following Trump’s announcement that he would not provide protection from Russia to NATO partners who fail to meet their financial obligations. “No other president in history has ever bowed to a Russian dictator,” criticized Biden. “Let me say this as clearly as I can: I will never do it.”
Trump, who wants to challenge Biden in the next presidential election in November and run for the Republicans again, said during a campaign appearance at the weekend that the “president of a great country” once asked him whether the USA would still protect this country from Russia would if it did not pay defense spending. He replied: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.” What’s more, he would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.”
Alliance case has only been declared once so far
Biden had already sharply criticized the statement over the weekend, but has now followed up. “Can you imagine a former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it,” the Democrat said. “The worst part is that he’s serious.” Principles don’t matter to Trump, Biden complained. “When he looks at NATO, he doesn’t see the alliance that protects America and the world.” Trump instead sees the alliance as a burden or as a means for protection money demands.
As a defense alliance, NATO relies on the principle of deterrence and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is particularly relevant to this. It regulates the obligation of assistance in the alliance and states that an armed attack against one or more allies is viewed as an attack against all.
Biden recalled that this alliance was only triggered once in the history of NATO – and that was in support of America, after the terrorist attacks against the USA on September 11, 2001. The Democrat also emphasized once again that he stood by the obligation to provide assistance, and As long as he was president, the United States would defend every inch of NATO territory.