In a recent interview broadcast on Sunday, President-elect Trump once again issued a warning, stating that if NATO member countries do not pay enough for defense spending, the United States will withdraw from this multilateral military alliance.
President-elect Trump reiterated his warning to NATO allies in an interview aired on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program on Sunday. He believes that the United States may not continue to participate in NATO, the Western military alliance, during his second term in office.
Trump has long complained that European and Canadian governments have not been paying their fair share in defense spending within this collective defense group, while the U.S. remains the strongest partner in NATO.
NATO and its member governments have stated that most countries in the alliance have now met the voluntary targets for military spending, partly due to the pressure exerted by Trump during his first presidential term.
When asked about the possibility of withdrawing from NATO, Trump expressed an open attitude towards the issue.
He said, “If they are paying their bills, if I believe they are treating us fairly, the answer is I would absolutely stay in NATO.”
When asked if he would consider the U.S. leaving NATO if these allies do not pay their defense costs, Trump replied, “Of course. Yes, absolutely.”
This interview video was recorded last Friday and was broadcast on Sunday morning on the NBC News network in the United States.