<p>Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> stirred controversy on Saturday as he revived a long-running critique of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nato" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NATO</a> over how much its member nations contribute financially to the alliance, alluding to his hardball negotiation tactics with other world leaders on the subject.</p>
<p>During an event in South Carolina, Trump spoke of how NATO, which has a <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm#:~:text=The%202%25%20defence%20investment%20guideline,ensure%20the%20Alliance's%20military%20readiness." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2% minimum GDP defense investment guideline</a> for members, was &#8220;busted&#8221; until he got <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-16/nato-members-ramp-up-defense-spending-after-pressure-from-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allied countries to increase their</a> spending under pressure to do more to assist the United States in propping up the collective.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, &#8216;Well sir, if we don&#8217;t pay and we&#8217;re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?&#8217; I said, you didn&#8217;t pay? You&#8217;re delinquent? He said, &#8216;Yes, let&#8217;s say that happened.&#8217; No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay,&#8221; Trump said.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump has said he would &#39;encourage&#39; Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills. <a href="https://t.co/skp3jzdZXT">https://t.co/skp3jzdZXT</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z2dh30u400">pic.twitter.com/Z2dh30u400</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Sky News (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1756723700403986615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Some critics took Trump&#8217;s comments as suggesting he would allow the United States to neglect its <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_110496.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 5 duties</a> if Russia were to attack one of its NATO allies.</p>
<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewJBates46/status/1756524165157249307" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> White House spokesman Andrew Bates.</p>
<p>Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Trump&#8217;s last-remaining rival in the GOP primary contest who served as his ambassador to the United Nations, said on CBS, &#8220;The last thing we ever want to do is side with Russia.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a> reacts to Donald Trump saying he&#39;d let Russia &quot;do whatever the hell they want&quot; to NATO countries that he thinks are not paying enough: &quot;Don&#39;t take the side of someone who has gone in and invaded a country&#8230;The last thing we ever want to do is side with Russia.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AVJ8VjpJQR">pic.twitter.com/AVJ8VjpJQR</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1756707439057981445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p>NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nato-leader-trump-puts-allies-risks-russia-hell-107139305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> with a statement that said &#8220;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.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-russia-nato/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN</a> he had &#8220;zero concerns&#8221; about Trump&#8217;s latest comments on NATO.</p>
<p>&#8220;What he&#8217;s basically saying is, if you see the comments, he said NATO was broke or busted until he took over because people weren&#8217;t paying their dues. And then he told the story about how he used leverage to get people to step up to the plate and become more active in NATO,&#8221; Rubio said.</p>

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Trump Riles Critics With Anecdote About NATO Spending Negotiations