US presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday claimed that he "made NATO strong" during his presidency after his invitation to Russia to attack member countries of the defence alliance that do not meet financial commitments caused outrage.
"I made NATO strong," the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 US presidential election wrote in all caps on the social network Truth Social, which he co-founded.
"When I told the 20 Countries that weren’t paying their fair share that they had to pay up, and said without doing that you will not have U.S. Military Protection, the money came rolling in," Trump stated.
"After so many years of the United States picking up the tab, it was a beautiful sight to see," he said, "But now, without me there to say you must pay, they are at it again."
At a campaign event in the state of South Carolina on Saturday, Trump said that he would "not protect" countries from Russia that did not reach NATO's defence spending requirements.
"In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want," Trump said, referring to Russia, calling the alliance's collective defence commitments into question.
It was unclear whether Trump ever had such a conversation with another head of state.
Trump's comment caused a stir in Europe, where memories are fresh of Trump's scepticism toward the trans-Atlantic alliance. He created a minor furore in 2017 when he called NATO "obsolete," and he frequently charged during his presidency that the US was paying an unfair share as a member.
