NATO Brushes Off Donald Trump's Threats

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg brushed off Donald Trump's attacks against the efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in an interview on Monday's CNN News Central.

When asked if he is concerned about the political direction the U.S. is headed and how it relates to NATO, Stoltenberg said the recent threats from Trump have not been directed at NATO, but instead, are directed at allies who he perceives are not spending enough on defense.

"The criticism has not mainly been against NATO, but the criticism coming from former president Trump has been against NATO allies not spending enough on NATO and there are things that have really changed," Stoltenberg said.

"More NATO allies are spending at least two percent of GDP on defense, and now Sweden joined today, and they are spending more than two percent," Stoltenberg said. "NATO allies are really making a difference now by significantly spending more on defense."

Context

Trump sparked backlash after saying he would "encourage" Russian President Vladimir Putin to do "whatever the hell" he wants to NATO members that insufficiently contribute financially to the military alliance.

In a speech in South Carolina in February, Trump appeared to recall a conversation with an unnamed politician he described as "one of the presidents of a big country" and added that the anonymous leader had asked whether the United States would protect the NATO nation if Russia attacked.

"I said, 'You didn't pay, you're delinquent?'" the former president told the crowd. "In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills."

What We Know

During Monday's CNN interview, Stoltenberg did not say he was concerned with the political direction the U.S. was headed.

"I expect the Unites States to continue to be a staunch NATO ally after the elections in November because it is in the U.S. interest to have a strong NATO. NATO is a good deal for the United States because together we represent 50 percent of the worlds military and economic might and also make United States safer," said Stoltenberg.

President Joe Biden has since slammed Trump's comments on NATO as he previously called it "dumb" and "shameful" while speaking at the White House in February.

"The worst thing is, he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will. For God's sake, it's dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous. It's un-American," said the president.

More recently, during Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday, the president specifically called Trump out for his recent attacks toward NATO, and accused him of "bowing down" to Putin.

"Now—now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, 'Do whatever the hell you want.'" said Biden. "A former president actually said that—bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it's outrageous, it's dangerous, and it's unacceptable."

In response Trump shot back at Biden's State of the Union comments on Truth Social, writing: "Putin only invaded Ukraine, because he has no respect for Biden. Would have never happened under the Trump Administration, and for four years it didn't happen!"

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

Views

Several Democrats and Republicans voiced disagreement with Trump's remarks.

Republicans such as former Representative Liz Cheney, Senator Lindsey Graham as well as former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump for the GOP presidential candidacy, have all spoken out condemning his comments.

Stoltenberg had reacted similarly to Trump's comments back in February.

"Any attack on NATO will be met with a united and forceful response. Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the U.S. and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk. I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election, the U.S. will remain a strong and committed NATO ally," Stoltenberg said.

Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, a staunch supporter of Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, has recently said that he believes Ukraine's potential NATO membership "could be the match that sparks WWIII."

"If Ukraine is in NATO, the United States should be out, plain and simple. We must draw a redline with NATO: You can have Ukraine or the United States," Lee wrote on Saturday in an opinion piece published by The American Conservative.

"[Vladimir] Putin continues to warn us that Ukraine in NATO could be the match that sparks WWIII. As a constitutional realist, it seems to me that when the enemy gives us a clear warning, we should act with a degree of prudence, not double down without a second thought simply to anger the bad guy," Lee added.

Just after the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Stoltenberg spoke of Ukraine's relation to NATO.

"Ukraine is now nearer to NATO than ever before. We are assisting in improving your armed forces' compatibility with our allies. We are opening a new Joint Center for Analysis, Training and Education in Poland together. We're also strengthening our political relationship through the NATO-Ukraine Council, where we consult and make decisions together," Stoltenberg said. "Ukraine's enlistment in NATO isn't a question of if, but rather when."

What's Next?

Ukrainian military aid from the U.S. remains stalled in Congress, where Biden's $60 billion aid package has failed to advance amid months of partisan quarrels.

Meanwhile, NATO has taken several steps to bolster its defense systems along its eastern flank in recent months, including conducting trainings for over 90,000 troops from all 32 of the member states in countries that share a border with Russia, such as the Baltic nations and Poland.

Update 3/11/24, 11:00 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background

Update 3/11/24, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background