Donald Trump To NATO: Pay Up, Suckers

Gaul is supposed to be a big deal, but it's very disappointing. Terrible golf. Sad!

Donald Trump continued his war on our allies Monday, explaining that when he's president, he intends to approach international defense alliances as a shakedown racket. At a rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the furry frother insisted NATO allies had better have exact change ready if Russian tanks start rolling across their borders:

"I want them to pay," he said. "They don’t pay us what they should be paying! We lose on everything. Folks, we lose on everything."

He went on to criticize former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's foreign policy record: "She makes it impossible to negotiate. She’s not a negotiator. She’s a fool.”

[wonkbar]<a href="https: //wonkette.substack.com/p/president-of-earth-donald-j-trump-to-americas-nato-allies-drop-dead"></a>[/wonkbar]The tantrum from the would-be leader of the free-ish world was a follow-up to his comments in a recent New York Times interview in which he said he'd have to look over the balance sheet of NATO allies before actually following through on U.S. commitments to mutual defense.

The Clinton campaign's response to Trump's initial "thoughts" on NATO came quickly. Senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement last week noting, "The President is supposed to be the leader of the free world ... Donald Trump apparently doesn’t even believe in the free world.” Well of course not. It's a pay-as-you-go world. Unless it's more convenient to just skip out on your debts altogether. Art of the deal, baby.

As an example of the brilliant negotiating skills and deal-making Trump would bring to defense treaties -- which exist to ensure fast action in an international emergency, not further deal-cutting -- Trump explained Monday it might be good to make our allies sweat a little:

"We have to walk," Trump added. "Within two days they're calling back! Get back over here, we’ll pay you whatever the hell you want."

"They will pay us if the right person asks," he said. "That’s the way it works, folks. That’s the way it works."

Trump has not yet suggested a similar approach be taken to municipal 911 police and fire services, but we figure that's pretty much inevitable. It's horrifying enough as a model for NATO, where the principle since the 1950s has been "an attack on one is an attack on all." Now that rule will be amended to include new language noting that you got a real nice little country there, and it sure would be a shame if something were to happen to it. Besides, if they want to keep invaders out, why don't they just build a big magnificent wall?

[ TPM ]