NATO is worried that Donald Trump could significantly reduce US involvement in the bloc if the Republican Party loses the mid-terms today, Politico has reported, citing European officials and diplomats.
Officials in the military bloc are “bracing for a worst-case scenario” as a result of the vote today, the outlet said in an article on Sunday.
If a victory for the Democrats blocks Trump from legislating domestically, he may decide to go after NATO to rally his MAGA base, diplomats told the outlet.
The US could withdraw thousands more troops from Europe, cut American funding for the bloc, or limit the NATO-backed PURL arms-buying scheme for Ukraine, they suggested.
Trump “could be very pissed off” after the midterms, if so, “he’ll be very harsh,” one diplomat reportedly warned.
When addressed for comment by Politico, White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales insisted that “Trump has done more for NATO than anyone else,” including persuading member states to boost defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, increasing the US militarily presence in Greenland, and undertaking diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
“The president will never settle for the West’s managed decline and will continue to unapologetically advance our interests at home and abroad,” she said.
However, Wales stressed that Trump “remains firm that our NATO allies should have been there for the US” during the war with Iran.
After the bloc’s members in spring refused to join the US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic and countries such as Spain and Italy barred the Pentagon from using bases on their territory for attacks, Trump said he was “never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger.” When asked if he could reconsider the American membership in the bloc, Trump said: “Oh yes, I would say (it’s) beyond reconsideration.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said previously that the US and the rest of NATO members were “engaged in an unhealthy, traumatic relationship,” which required the attention of a therapist.
In a separate comment, Zakharova noted that the Trump administration “has stopped hiding its disappointment” with the organisation.
“NATO strategists should take a break and reflect in order to avoid making irresponsible decisions that could lead to a disaster — not just for the bloc, but for the entire world,” he warned.
Around half of the 2 000 US soldiers stationed in Romania left the country last year, with some 5 000 American servicemen currently being in the process of withdrawing from Germany.
According to media reports, Trump wanted to order a pull-out of as many as 25 000 soldiers from Europe earlier this year, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio talked him out of it. American forces on the continent number around 80 000.
The NBC News average of national polls, published yesterday, suggested that 52 percent of Americans preferred a Democrat-controlled Congress as a result of the mid-terms, with 44 percent being in favour of a Republican one. Trump’s approval rating stands at 38 percent a day before the vote. — Politico
