Biden called the US defense of NATO members a ‘sacred commitment’
President Biden condemned former President Donald Trump as “un-American” after the GOP frontrunner suggested that Russia should be allowed to act freely against NATO members who fail to meet defense spending guidelines.
Biden responded to Trump’s remarks from the White House on Tuesday, labeling the criticism of fellow NATO nations as “shameful” and “foolish.”
“The former president has sent a dangerous and, frankly, un-American message to the world,” Biden stated at the White House on Tuesday.
“When America promises something, we stick to it. If we say we’ll do something, we do it. NATO is a very important promise. Donald Trump sees it as a problem,” the president said.
Trump said this during a speech for his campaign on Saturday in Conway, South Carolina.
The former president shared that a leader from a large country once asked him if the U.S. would still protect their country if Russia attacked them, even if they hadn’t paid.
“I wouldn’t defend you,” Trump recounted telling the leader of that country. “In fact, I’d encourage them to do whatever they want. You have to pay. You have to pay your bills.”
NATO declares that an attack on one member nation is considered an attack on all nations within the alliance. Trump has previously expressed concern about the lower defense spending of other NATO countries compared to the U.S. He has also threatened on multiple occasions to withdraw the U.S. from NATO.
“The whole world heard it. And the worst part is, he means it,” Biden remarked on Trump’s rhetoric, describing the statements as “an invitation to Putin.”
“No other president in our history has ever submitted to a Russian dictator. Let me make this as clear as possible: I never will. It’s foolish, it’s disgraceful, it’s risky,” he added.