Trump says he'd 'encourage' Russia 'to do whatever the hell they want' if a NATO country didn't spend enough on defense

Donald Trump said he wouldn't protect a NATO nation that didn't contribute enough defense funds and he'd "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want."

Former President Donald Trump said he wouldn't protect a NATO nation that didn't contribute enough defense funds and he'd "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want."

"You don't pay your bills, you get no protection. It's very simple," Trump said Saturday at a campaign event in Conway, South Carolina. "Hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO and that's why they have money."

Trump recalled a past conversation with a leader of one of the 31 NATO countries, saying, "One of the presidents of a big country stood up [and] said, 'Well, sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us?'"

"I said, 'You didn't pay, you're delinquent,'" Trump said. "No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want."

In his comments, Trump also falsely suggested that NATO contributions come in the form of loans. In 2006, NATO leaders agreed that member countries would commit to a minimum of 2% of their GDP that would go toward military readiness.