Press
The world may have to prepare for a second term in office for Donald Trump. Despite the tense geopolitical situation, the Republican apparently wants to establish a new NATO model.
Washington – Former US President Donald Trump continues to wander through the media even without a political function, simply because of his numerous legal problems. Nevertheless, the 77-year-old is currently the Republicans’ most promising candidate for the US presidential election. On Saturday, the real estate mogul once again attacked the NATO defense alliance during an election campaign appearance. In the future, the following will apparently apply: Anyone who doesn’t pay will not receive US protection. According to insiders, Trump’s team is already discussing concrete plans after an election victory – including a new NATO model.
Trump vs. defaulting NATO nations: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.”
At the election campaign event on Saturday, Trump apparently spoke out loud. The “president of a large country” once asked him whether USA would protect this country from Russia even if it did not pay the defense costs. The Republican replied: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.” Instead, he would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.”
It cannot be independently proven whether such a conversation actually took place. Trump himself added: “Let’s assume that happened.” The Republican is not necessarily known for his love of the truth: during his time in office alone, the 77-year-old said loudly Washington Post told over 30,000 lies.
Either way, the message was clear. Countries that do not contribute at least two percent of their gross domestic product will no longer receive US protection. The North Atlantic Defense Alliance was founded in 1955 on a simple premise: an attack on one member is an attack on all, as Article 5 states.
Trump apparently wants to reduce the US’s NATO commitments if he wins the election
According to a report by the US news portal Bloomberg Trump’s confidants are said to be discussing a two-stage model for the NATO alliance in the event of an election victory. This would stipulate that Article 5 would only apply to nations that meet their defense spending targets. The decision has not yet been finalized, the insiders told the US newspaper. There is also the idea of a kind of tax for defaulting countries.
Mark Esper, the former Defense Secretary under Trump, also sees no prospects for NATO if the Republican is re-elected. The ex-president sees the North Atlantic defense alliance as a kind of “country club”. “If you don’t pay the fees, you won’t be allowed to use the spa or play golf,†Esper said Newsweek.
Military expert counters: This is how a former NATO general assesses Trump’s statements
Trump is a power-obsessed populist in election campaign mode, “who will use almost any means to get back into power,” commented former NATO general Erhard Bühler on the former US president’s statement in the podcast “What do, General?“. The Republican is using “the mood of part of society in the USA”. This part says: “What does the war in Ukraine matter to us? […] We want our tax money to be spent on our needs.” From Bühler’s perspective, Trump is a man who “lacks a lot of things, decency, education, consideration, thoughtfulness.” The quote about NATO from the former US President fits the picture perfectly.
The ex-president questioned the cohesion of the 31 NATO states with his statement, “a cohesion that must and is also in the USA’s own interest.” A world power in particular needs allies who share a community of values with it form. Bühler, on the other hand, does not see any “knowledgeable American” who wants to break up the North Atlantic community for strategic reasons. Such populist statements also went against the actual interests of the USA, says the ex-NATO general. However, Europe has provided the fodder for such statements. The former NATO general was alluding to the fact that numerous states, including Germany, had not achieved NATO’s two percent target for many years.