The White House slammed former US president Donald Trump for his remarks during a rally in Conway, South Carolina, saying that he would "encourage" Russia to attack any of the US's NATO allies who don't pay bills.
Trump on Saturday said that he would encourage Russia to attack those NATO allies who he considers have failed to meet their financial obligations as part of the Western military alliance, The Guardian reported.
Trump also said that he once told a leader that he would not protect a nation that has failed to pay its bills and would ask them to "do whatever the hell they want," BBC News reported.
The White House called his remarks "appalling and unhinged." The Republican's presumptive 2024 White House nominee, Donald Trump made the statements ahead of the state's Republican presidential preference primary on February 24.
Trump said during the rally that he had remarked about Russia during a meeting of leaders of NATO countries. He shared that the leader of a "big country" posed a hypothetical scenario wherein he failed to meet financial commitments to NATO and faced aggression from Moscow.
Trump mentioned that the leader in question asked whether the US would intervene to support his country in such a situation, which led Trump to deliver a sharp reprimand, BBC News reported. "I said: 'You didn't pay? You're delinquent?'... 'No I would not protect you, in fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You gotta pay," Trump said.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said that Trump was "encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes" and that his statement "endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home."
The leading contender for the Republican nomination in the upcoming US presidential election, Trump, has consistently voiced criticism of NATO, highlighting what he perceives as an undue financial strain on the United States to ensure the defense of 30 other nations.
In 2022, following Trump's departure from office, Russia initiated a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Trump has lamented the substantial financial aid provided by the US to Ukraine, despite its non-membership in NATO. According to White House data from December, the US has allocated more than $44 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, surpassing any other country's contributions, BBC News reported.
As of 2022, NATO stated that seven out of the current 31 NATO member countries were fulfilling that obligation—a rise from three in 2014. The 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia has prompted increased military expenditure by certain NATO members, The Guardian reported.