Trump, appearing on Nigel Farage's show, stressed the necessity for fair treatment within NATO, asserting that the United States bears a disproportionate burden in the alliance. He criticized other members for not fulfilling their financial obligations, suggesting they exploit American support. Despite this, Trump affirmed America's commitment to defending NATO allies if they contribute fairly, underscoring the importance of equitable burden-sharing for the alliance's sustainability.
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TRUMP: “Now, NATO has to treat the U.S. fairly because if it’s not for the United States, NATO literally doesn’t even exist. But they took advantage of us like most countries do.”
FARAGE: “OK. I mean, this has been used in Brussels as we’ve got to have a European Defense Force, even talk of Brussels having a nuclear weapon. Let’s just try and get somewhere on this. If they start to pay their bills properly, and the club is fair, are places like Poland defended? Will America be there?”
Trump: “Yeah. But the United States should pay its fair share, not everybody else’s fair share.”
FARAGE: “That ain’t fair enough.”
TRUMP: “I believe the United States was paying 90 percent of NATO the cost of NATO —“
FARAGE: “Yeah.”
TRUMP: “It could be 100 percent.”
FARAGE: “Yeah.”
TRUMP: “It was the most unfair thing — and don’t forget, it’s more important to them than it is to us. We have an ocean in-between some problems, OK? We have a nice big, beautiful ocean.”
FARAGE: “Yeah.”
TRUMP: “And it’s more important for them. They would take an advantage, and they did. They took advantage of us —“
FARAGE: “OK.”
TRUMP: “— on trade and they took advantage on —“ [crosstalk]
FARAGE: “So if they play fair, if they start to play fair, America’s there?”
TRUMP: “Yes, 100 percent, 100 percent.”
FARAGE: “Thank you.”
