His comments angered Democrats and alarmed European leaders, including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said in a statement that “any suggestion that allies will not stand up for each other undermines our entire security, including that of the United States, and puts the United States at risk.” hard situation”. European soldiers are in increasing danger.
But among Republican lawmakers, those statements were met with a mixture of pushback, defensiveness and silence.
As they voted to advance a funding package for Ukraine and Israel on Sunday, some Republican senators told reporters that they had not heard the president's remarks.
“I haven't seen that, so I need to hear his quote first,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). After a reporter asked him if he thought it was right for Trump to encourage Russia to attack a NATO country, Tuberville said he “was not involved in that conversation.”
Some, like Sen. Thom Tillis (R), sought to distance themselves from Trump's comments, but reminded reporters that this is not the first time Trump has voiced complaints about NATO members not pulling their weight.
“He used a little bit of politeness that I wouldn't have used, but he's not wrong that so many members didn't pay NATO's 2% minimum,” Tillis said, adding that it was a “mistake” on the part of Trump's staff. “Even allowing” the idea of Russia attacking a NATO member “to get out there.”
“Obviously that's not something I think he should have said, but I also don't think it's something he honestly believes,” he added.
Others waved off Trump's comments as “politics” and suggested the president's words were being used to create a negative narrative.
“It's very clear to me that he's going to get them to pay, but I don't think he's going to withdraw,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.). “He's trying to make a point, and I'm not worried about that at all.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who spoke to CNN on Sunday, justified Trump's comments by saying they should not be taken literally, and argued that the former president was simply “telling a story” about “how he used influence to get people involved.” . Level up and become more active in NATO.
“Trump is not a member of the Council on Foreign Relations,” Rubio said on “State of the Union.” “He doesn't talk like a traditional politician.”
Most rejected the idea that Trump was actively trying to encourage Russian aggression.
“None of us wants to see war in Europe, and I don’t think he does either,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.). “I'm pretty sure the president doesn't want to see us in a war with Russia.”
Tillis also noted that “Any attack on a NATO ally would have devastating consequences for the American men and women who would be deployed to defend them.”
Trump's comments about NATO were part of his usual campaigning for members of the alliance who have failed to comply with a 2006 pledge to eventually raise military spending levels to 2 percent of their country's gross domestic product.
In 2018, Trump rocked a NATO Allied summit in Brussels with harsh comments suggesting the United States might not comply with its commitment to defend other alliance members from attack unless they paid more money. At the time, Tillis reassured nervous US allies by telling them that Congress fully supported the alliance.
He said at the time: “There is no applause for the saying: 'Let's get out of NATO.'”
On Sunday, senators reaffirmed their commitment to NATO and sent $60 billion in aid to Ukraine on the Senate floor. Ukraine is not a member of the treaty, but several NATO member states have banded together to help the European country fend off the Russian invasion.
When asked what he made of Republicans ignoring Trump's comments, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) offered a stark warning.
He added: “He will withdraw from NATO. “He will weaponize the entire Department of Justice,” Murphy said. All the things he was prevented from doing in his first term, he will do in his second term. Every Republican, deep down, knows that.”
Notably, key Republican leaders in the Capitol, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), have remained silent on the issue. As of Monday evening, Johnson had not made an official comment on Trump's statements. Spokespeople for the spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the issue.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also did not respond to reporters' questions on Sunday about Trump's statements. However, on the Senate floor before voting to move forward with the funding package for Ukraine and Israel, McConnell delivered an emotional speech about the importance of US commitments to its allies.
“I know it has become fashionable in some circles to ignore the global interests we have as a world power, to bemoan the responsibilities of global leadership, and to lament the commitment that has been the basis of the longest drought of great power conflict in human history,” McConnell said. He said. “This is the idle work of idle minds. It has no place in the United States Senate.”
Few Republicans were more direct about their criticism of Trump. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters that it was unjustified for Trump to suggest that the United States throw NATO allies “to the Russian wolves.”
As he left the Senate floor on Sunday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters that the former president's comments had “serious ramifications.”
“One of the advantages that America has geopolitically is that we have friends, but the Russians and the Chinese do not,” Romney said. “Well, we'll lose our friends if we go around saying we won't protect them under the obligations we have.”
Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
