‘Unhinged’ Trump says he would encourage Russian attack on NATO countries

Donald Trump says he would ‘encourage’ Russia to attack members of NATO who had not met their financial obligations.

Donald Trump greets supporters at in Las Vegas last week. Picture: Getty Images

Donald Trump says he would “encourage” Russia to attack members of NATO who had not met their financial obligations, his most extreme broadside against a military alliance he has long expressed scepticism about.

With the US congress debating new aid for Ukraine ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, the former president has repeatedly said it was unfair to commit the US to ­defending NATO’s 30 other member nations.

Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina overnight on on Saturday, Mr Trump described a conversation with a fellow head of state at an unspecified NATO meeting.

“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re ­attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’ I said, ‘You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.’ ”

Mr Trump’s remarks come after Senate Republicans last week rejected a bipartisan bill that would have included sorely needed new funding for Ukraine, plus aid for ally Israel, along with reforms to address the US-­Mexico border crisis.

The White House hit back at Mr Trump’s assertions, touting President Joe Biden’s efforts to bolster alliances around the globe.

“Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous ­regimes is appalling and unhinged,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said.

The Senate bill’s death highlighted Mr Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party, as its congress members acceded to the former president’s calls to torpedo any deal in order to deny Mr Biden a win on immigration ahead of November’s election.

At the rally on Saturday, Mr Trump celebrated the collapse of the legislation, vowing that if re-elected, he would carry out a massive “deportation operation” on his first day in office.

“Let’s not forget that this week we also had another massive victory that every conservative should celebrate. We crushed crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous open borders bill,” he declared.

“The whole group did a great job in congress.

“On day one I will terminate every open border policy of the Biden administration and we will begin the largest domestic ­deportation operation in American history. We have no choice.”

At the South Carolina rally, Mr Trump needled Nikki Haley, his former UN ambassador who is also seeking the Republican Party’s nomination, though her bid is almost certainly doomed as she badly trails her ex-boss in the race.

Addressing voters in Ms Haley’s home state, Mr Trump questioned the whereabouts of her husband, Michael, who has not been seen on the campaign trail as he is on a year-long military deployment to the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti.

“Where’s her husband? Oh, he’s away. He’s away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?” he said.

Ms Haley snapped back on social media platform X: “Michael is deployed serving our country, something you know nothing about. Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no business being commander in chief.”

Michael Haley had his own message for Mr Trump, tagging the candidate in a post on X accompanied by a close-up photo of a wolf overlaid with the text: “The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never let the dumbest ones lead the pack.”

AFP