The Republican presidential nominee is digging himself a deeper hole and there will be no walking it back.
Trump spoke at a rally in North Carolina where he said we must be willing to walk away from NATO if our allies aren't willing to pay us more protection money.
"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." [...]
"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."
No, that's not the way it works.
This isn't an offer they can't refuse as much as it is an offer you should never make. This isn't a goddamn real-estate deal. The integrity of NATO, the defense of Europe and risk of global war is not something we can afford to gamble.
Trump's BFF Vladimir Putin has already demonstrated that he's willing and capable of invading his neighbors and two days is actually more than enough time to launch a blitzkrieg that Russia is already preparing for. And once the shooting starts, you've already given up the game. There's no taking it back. Even the prospect of America abandoning NATO could be enough to destabilize the region as our allies feel like they can't depend on us. And if we elect Donald Trump, they might be right.
European defense spending has risen by $3 billion this year. Trump's claim that our allies aren't already spending more money is a lie. Putin's invasion of Ukraine turned a lot of heads.
The Party of Ronald Reagan has nominated a man who is saying we should walk away from NATO and let the Russians have it.