President Joe Biden has openly criticized his potential 2024 election rival, Donald Trump, for his recent comments regarding NATO, labeling them as “dumb”, “shameful”, and “un-American.”
During a rally in South Carolina, Trump expressed that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member that did not meet its defense spending quota. His comments sparked a strong response from President Biden, who emphasized the need to pass a $95 billion foreign aid package for US allies, including $60 billion for Ukraine.
This aid package recently passed the Senate, but it faces opposition in the House. Biden warned that a failure to pass the package would be “playing into Putin’s hands”, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Biden criticized Trump’s remarks, stating that no other president in history has bowed down to a Russian dictator, and he pledged to defend every inch of NATO territory if Putin were to attack a NATO ally. He also urged House Republicans to decide whether they would stand with Ukraine and America or with Putin and Trump.
In response to Trump’s comments, Biden highlighted that only one NATO member, Poland, spends a greater share of its GDP on defense than the US. He also pointed out that Nato will announce that 18 of its 31 members will meet the target of spending 2% of the gross domestic product on their defense budgets this year.
These recent developments have reignited the debate surrounding NATO and the collective defense of its members, underscoring the growing tensions and political divisions on this issue.
