The White House says comments made by former US President Donald Trump about not protecting NATO allies from a potential invasion by Russia were “appalling and unhinged.”
Trump, appearing to recount a meeting with NATO leaders, told a political rally in South Carolina on Saturday, “One of the presidents of a big country stood up, 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?’ He said: ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You gotta pay.”
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, asked about Trump’s comments, says, “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.”
Trump told the story in the context of his role in helping torpedo congressional legislation that would have sent military aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today, and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our outstanding DocuNation series of Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
