Speaking from the White House, Biden said Trump's comments sent a dangerous and “disgraceful” signal to the world. Biden was referring to a speech Trump gave at a campaign rally in South Carolina in which he imagined asking a NATO country if the U.S. would protect them from a Russian attack if they didn't pay.
“I said, 'You didn't pay. You're guilty.' And he said, 'Yeah, let's say that happened. No, I won't protect you,” Trump told the crowd at the time. “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want.”
The worst part of Trump's speech, Biden said Tuesday, was “he means it.”
“Can you imagine a former President of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it,” Biden said. “No other president in our history has bowed to a Russian dictator. Well, let me make this as clear as I can: I never will. For god's sake, that's dumb. I am feeling shy. It is dangerous. It's not American.”
Biden said Trump did not understand that the NATO alliance was a “sacred commitment” made by the United States.
“Donald Trump sees this as a burden. When he looks at NATO, he doesn't see an alliance that protects America and the world. He sees a security fraud,” Biden said. “He understands that NATO is built on the fundamental principles of freedom, security and national sovereignty. did not take Because policies don't matter to Trump. Everything is transactional.
Biden further noted Article 5 of NATO – states that an armed attack against one or more NATO countries “will be considered an attack against all” – this has only been implemented once, and it should stand with the US after the 9/11 attacks.
America's enemies have long wanted the NATO alliance to break up, the president added.
“You can be sure they were all happy to hear Donald Trump and what he had to say. I know this: I'm not going to walk away. I can't imagine any other president walking away,” he said. “As long as I'm president, if [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin attacks a NATO ally, the US will defend every inch of NATO territory.
When asked about Biden's comments, the Trump campaign pointed to a statement made by Trump adviser Jason Miller over the weekend.
Miller scoffed at concerns about Trump's NATO comments as worrying “Democrat and media pearl-clutchers” and added that Trump has been effective in making NATO countries “pay” during his presidency.
“When you don't pay for your defense, you can't be surprised if you get more war,” Miller said.
Repeatedly Tuesday, Biden said history is watching what Congress will do.
“Our nation stands at an inflection point, and the decisions we make now are going to determine the course of our future for decades to come,” Biden said. “House Republicans, I say to the members of the House, you have to decide: Are you going to stand for freedom or stand with terrorism and tyranny? Are you going to stand with Ukraine or are you going to stand with Putin? Are you going to stand with America or Trump?”
Azi Paybarah contributed to this report.
