Cleveland
Republicans are holding out hope that Donald Trump did not mean what he said about his willingness to defend NATO allies against Russian aggression. In a Wednesday interview with the New York Times, Trump would not commit that under his presidency the United States would come to the military aid of fellow NATO members if they were attacked by an adversary, like Russia. Under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, members are obligated to come to the aid of other members under attack.
Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, speaking at an event in Cleveland sponsored by Politico, said the United States needs to “stand behind the Article 5 guarantee with every NATO member” but said he had not read the full Times interview with Trump. Asked about the possibility that under Trump the U.S. could shift toward a more accommodating relationship with Russia, Cotton suggested that would “be a continuation of Barack Obama’s policy of shifting toward Vladimir Putin.”
“I hope that when Donald Trump begins to receive intelligence briefings…that he might have a slightly different perspective,” Cotton said.
After the event, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked Cotton why the Republican senator had that hope.
Elsewhere in Cleveland Tom Price, a Republican congressman from Georgia who is supporting Trump, told TWS he was confident Trump would fulfill the country’s NATO obligations. “I don’t have any doubt that he would respect the treaty,” Price said. “I think what his point has always been is that other nations need to carry their weight, and that’s what they need to do.”
Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger, who remains undecided on supporting Trump for president, was much more skeptical of the GOP nominee’s commitment following the Times interview.
“It’s disastrous,” said Kinzinger at the same Politico event when asked about Trump’s comments. “It’s utterly disastrous.”
Calling Trump’s sentiments “ill-informed and dangerous,” the Illinois Republican and combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan said Trump’s views have made it more difficult for him to support the nominee. “I was closer to saying yes until last night, until this article,” Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger called Trump’s foreign policy “narcissistic” for the candidate’s expressed view that protection for our allies can only come when they’ve fulfilled monetary obligations. “As a military soldier, pilot, I’m offended by the idea that I’m some kind of a protection racket…or I’m some kind of mercenary.”
Asked about Trump’s friendlier rhetoric toward Russia and Putin, Kinzinger made a veiled reference to the fact that Trump’s top advisor Paul Manafort has done consulting work for pro-Putin clients. “There’s media in here, I hope people are looking up connections and contracts and things in the past or whatever, doing due diligence,” he said.
