Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is “obsolete,” and said that as with his controversial standpoints on illegal immigration and trade, “everyone” will eventually agree that he is right.
“There’s nothing wrong with saying that a concept was good, but now it’s obsolete or now it’s outmoded,” Trump said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” repeating his previous position that the U.S. pays a disproportionate amount to NATO.
Trump says the alliance, created to contain the Soviet Union, is out of date and does too little to help countries in need of support, like Ukraine.
“Everybody was knocking [me] on NATO, like they do usually — when I talk about — when I talk about illegal immigration,” Trump said. “I went through hell with illegal immigration. Now everyone is saying Trump is right.
While Trump’s arguments on illegal immigration may have gained support among Republicans, polls show they continue to draw vehement opposition from millions of Americans, including most Democrats. Trump’s views on NATO, though less extreme, have also drawn wide attack.
“When I talked about the problems that we have with trade. Now they’re all saying Trump is right. The same thing with NATO,” Trump added. “When I did that, two days I took abuse from the media falsely. Now, people are saying — many, many people are saying, you know, Trump is right. He’s absolutely right about NATO.”
