President Joe Biden has called Donald Trump, who is expected to oppose him in the 2024 election, for his criticism of NATO “dumb,” “shameful,” and “un-American.”
After stating that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member that did not fulfill its defense expenditure quota, the Democrat attacked Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden stated that the comments highlighted how urgent it is to approve a $95 billion (£75 billion) foreign aid package for US partners.
Although the law recently passed the Senate, it will encounter political resistance in the House.
Mr. Biden stated at the White House on Tuesday that failing to approve the deal, which calls for $60 billion for Ukraine, would be “playing into Putin’s hands.”
He claimed that as a result of Mr. Trump’s “dangerous” remarks on Saturday, the stakes have increased.
“No other president in history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator,” Mr Biden said.
“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.”
During a rally on Saturday in South Carolina, Republican candidate Donald Trump criticized NATO countries for their “delinquent” payments.
He related a previous discussion about a possible Russian strike that he claimed to have had with the leader of “a big country.”
According to Mr. Trump, the official inquired as to whether the US would support a NATO member that had fallen short of its financial commitments.
“I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Mr Trump told the crowd. “‘No I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You gotta pay.’”
According to Mr. Biden, his predecessor was using the military partnership as a kind of protection tactic.
“If Putin attacks a NATO ally, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory as long as I’m president,” the president declared.
Mr. Biden pointed out that since the US attacks of September 11, 2001, only once has NATO used Article 5, a provision of its charter requiring collective defense by all member states in the event of an attack.
The president asked House Republicans in a statement, “Will you support Putin or will you stand with Ukraine? Which side will you support—Trump or America?
The Financial Times reports that 18 out of NATO’s 31 nations will meet their 2% GDP defense budget spending targets this year. This information will be revealed by the alliance on Wednesday.
Only one NATO member, Poland, dedicates a larger portion of its GDP to defense than the United States.
Just five NATO nations reached the same goal in 2016, which drew severe criticism from Mr. Trump, who frequently hinted that the US would leave the alliance.
