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Donald Trump has revved up his longstanding criticism of NATO by claiming he does not believe Washington’s allies in the bloc would come to the aid of the U.S. in the future if it were attacked. Speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Trump said, ‘it’s more important for them… we’re paying for NATO, and we don’t get so much out of it.’ He then claimed that ‘if we ever needed their help, let’s say we were attacked, I don’t believe they’d be there,’ claiming that he could tell ‘country by country’ who would assist and who would not. Trump has long been critical of the bloc, which he has called obsolete and has repeatedly criticized European NATO nations for not meeting the 2% of GDP defense spending commitment to maintain the alliance. He has also been highly critical of NATO’s actions in Ukraine, both in depleting weapons stocks to arm Ukraine, leaving NATO nations vulnerable, and the reluctance to sue for peace.
