UNITED STATES NEWS

Biden says Trump sowing doubts about US commitment to NATO is ‘un-American’

Feb 13, 2024, 7:00 PM

Biden said Trump's comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies fro...

Biden said Trump's comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were “dangerous," “un-American." (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Donald Trump’s comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were “dangerous” and “un-American,” seizing on the former president’s comments that sowed fresh fears among U.S. partners about its dependability on the global stage.

Trump, the front-runner in the U.S. for the Republican Party’s nomination this year, said Saturday that he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense. It was the latest instance in which the former president seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America’s democratic allies.

Speaking from the White House as he encouraged the House to take up a Senate-passed aid bill to fund Ukraine’s efforts to hold off a two-year Russian invasion, Biden said Trump’s comments about the mutual defense pact were “dangerous and shocking.”

“The whole world heard it and the worst thing is he means it,” Biden added.

Biden said that “when America gives its word, it means something,” and called Trump’s comments sowing doubt about its commitments ”un-American.”

Biden said of Trump: “He doesn’t understand that the sacred commitment that we’ve given works for us as well.”

NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all members. But Trump has often depicted NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for more than 70 years.

Since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Biden has ushered Finland into the alliance and is clearing the way for Sweden to do the same. While Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the alliance has served as a key contributor of the U.S.-organized effort to support Kyiv’s military defenses in the nearly two year old conflict.

NATO allies agreed in 2014, after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold War and move toward spending 2% of their GDP on defense by 2024. The spending target is not a requirement for NATO members.

NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in a statement Sunday that “any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the U.S., and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk.” The defense minister in Poland, which has been under Russian control more often than not since the end of the 18th century, said “no election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the alliance.”

“President Trump got our allies to increase their NATO spending by demanding they pay up, but Joe Biden went back to letting them take advantage of the American taxpayer,” said Jason Miller, a Trump senior adviser, in response to Biden’s comments. “When you don’t pay your defense spending you can’t be surprised that you get more war.”

United States News

Associated Press

California’s burn scars brace for flooding as freezing rain and snow head for Oregon

Officials in California distributed sandbags, prepositioned rescue swimmers and told residents to have their go-bags ready as the state prepares for an atmospheric river that could bring heavy rain, winds and flooding Thursday to areas ravaged by wildfires. Meanwhile, Portland coated its streets with 2,000 gallons of liquid anti-icer while officials in Oregon and Idaho […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Stateville Correctional Center, a historic but dilapidated prison set to close and a replace...

Associated Press

Illinois data shows inmates with violent records from shuttered prison sent to medium-security sites

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Among the approximately 400 inmates transferred when Illinois’ decrepit Stateville prison closed over the summer, 278 were convicted of murder and 100 more are serving time for other violent offenses. Yet, nearly four in five of the offenders formerly housed at the suburban Chicago lockup were not shipped to top-level maximum-security […]

4 hours ago

A snowy owl named Ghost eats a frozen rat at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center on Feb. 6, 2025...

Associated Press

Why people are naming bugs, rats and cats after their exes this Valentine’s Day

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Feel like dissing instead of kissing your former lover this Valentine’s Day? Think your ex is more like a rat than a prince? Do you believe your former paramour should never procreate? Animal shelters and zoos around the country are encouraging little cathartic avenues for revenge this holiday — and raising […]

4 hours ago

FILE - A woman holds the hand of a sick relative lying on the floor of the overcrowded Lilongwe Cen...

Associated Press

This is what happens to the body when HIV drugs are stopped for millions of people

A generation has passed since the world saw the peak in AIDS-related deaths. Those deaths — agonizing, from diseases the body might otherwise fight off — sent loved ones into the streets, pressuring governments to act. The United States eventually did, creating PEPFAR, arguably the most successful foreign aid program in history. HIV, which causes […]

4 hours ago

FILE - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human ...

Associated Press

Senate to vote on vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid to become nation’s health secretary

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent lawyer and vocal vaccine critic, as the nation’s health secretary, controlling $1.7 trillion in spending for vaccines, food safety and health insurance programs for roughly half the country. Despite several Republicans expressing deep skepticism about […]

5 hours ago

...

Sponsored Content by Bright Wealth Management

How updating your estate plan is crucial in saving money

As you map out your estate plan, mapping out beneficiaries and keeping it up to date is key in order for the most funds possible to be passed down with ease.

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to start your retirement planning early and avoid costly mistakes

Retirement planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can avoid costly pitfalls.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

Biden says Trump sowing doubts about US commitment to NATO is ‘un-American’