Should We Call Him Benedict Arnold Trump? By J.E. Dean 

The list of bizarre and troubling comments that Donald Trump has made on the campaign trail continues to grow. But until last week, the list did not include encouraging Russia to attack U.S. allies and, indirectly, the U.S.  

At a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump reminded an audience of his efforts to encourage NATO members to meet their funding commitments to the mutual defense organization, implying that they were somehow delinquent in paying dues to the organization. The problem is that NATO does not collect dues. Instead, the organization asks members to commit to spending two percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense.  

Despite not understanding how NATO works, Trump credits himself with prompting some members to increase funding for the organization. None did. While some NATO members increased defense spending between 2017 and 2020, they most likely did so because of Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.  It is also worth noting that President Obama urged NATO members to increase their defense budgets and that some NATO members spend more, as a percent of GDP, than the United States. Poland spent 3.9 percent in 2023, and nine other NATO members, in addition to the U.S., spent more than 2.0 percent. 

Trump shared a conversation he claims he had with a NATO member who asked him how he would respond to a NATO member that did not pay its NATO dues if that member were attacked. Trump, if you can believe him, responded, “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”  This statement coming from Trump is ironic, given the fact that he is notorious for not paying his bills. 

It is unlikely that this or any similar conversation between Trump and a NATO member took place. A NATO leader (other than Trump) would have known that there is no such thing as “NATO dues.”  Whoever Trump would have spoken to would have laughed at him and walked away.  

Since the speech, President Biden and some Capitol Hill Republicans have condemned Trump’s comments. In a statement, Biden reacted, describing the ex-president’s statement as “Donald Trump’s admission that he intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence, to continue his brutal assault against a free Ukraine, and to expand his aggression to the people of Poland and the Baltic States is appalling and dangerous.”   

Trump’s comments are more than appalling and dangerous. They are also treasonous. NATO is a mutual defense organization. An attack on one member is considered an attack on all NATO members. The goal is to discourage military aggression against any NATO member, including the United States. That makes NATO effectively part of America’s defense against foreign adversaries, such as Russia. 

 In 2022, Trump praised Putin as “savvy” and “genius” after his attack on Ukraine. Trump commented: “’This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.”  Yes, very savvy, and even exceptionally savvy if you see nothing wrong with a dictator starting a war of aggression and justifying it with lies.  

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia’s economy has suffered greatly, its military has been badly depleted, and thousands of Russian men are fleeing the country to avoid military conscription. Would a genius or savvy leader let this happen to his country? (Note that Trump expressed hope the U.S. economy will collapse in the hope the crisis would aid he attempts to regain the White House.) 

Trump also discussed allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election at a press conference at a summit in Helsinki, Finland, that he believed Russian denials. After meeting with Vladimir Putin privately, he announced, “President Putin says it is not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”  

Trump’s campaign responded to the condemnation of his campaign comments on NATO by reminding voters that the U.S. was at peace during his presidency. Campaign spokesman Jason Miller commented, “Democrat and media pearl-clutchers seem to have forgotten that we had four years of peace and prosperity under President Trump, but Europe saw death and destruction under Obama-Biden and now more death and destruction under Biden. President Trump got our allies to increase their NATO spending by demanding they pay up, but Joe Biden went back to letting them take advantage of the American taxpayer.” 

 If you experience difficulty in understanding how this comment might neutralize or rebut Trump’s invitation to Putin to attack U.S. allies, you are not alone. 

Trump has again claimed that, if elected, he will end the war in Ukraine. That would apparently result from a combination of his cutting off U.S. aid to Ukraine and negotiating a Ukrainian surrender to Russia, under which Russia would retain the territory it has gained in the war. Trump has actively discouraged Congressional Republicans from approving additional aid to Ukraine and has ridiculed Ukrainian president Zelensky as “the world’s greatest salesman.” 

 Donald Trump is a friend of Putin. What better way to strengthen that friendship than by weakening NATO, undermining U.S. support for Ukraine, and, with help from his friend and possible 2024 running mate, Tucker Carlson, reversing the perception of Putin as a modern Hitler? 

Trump is a traitor. If he is elected in 2024 and follows through on the promises he made last week in South Carolina, the U.S. will be in a heap of hurt. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and other subjects.