White House condemns Trump’s ‘unhinged’ NATO comments
Al Jazeera
The frontrunner for the Republican nomination shows no signs of easing hostile stance towards military alliance.
The White House has condemned Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the United States should not help NATO protect allies from a potential Russian attack as “unhinged”.
The former United States president, who appeared to be talking about a previous meeting with NATO leaders during his latest political rally in South Carolina on Saturday, claimed he had spoken with the president of “a big country” about allies rushing to defend each other.
“Well sir if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia – will you protect us?” he recounted the leader as saying.
“I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’ He said: ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay.”
“Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability and our economy at home,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.
