Liz Cheney expressed concern over Donald Trump’s recent threats against NATO allies, highlighting a significant misunderstanding of America’s foreign diplomacy.
During a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the former congresswoman expressed her outrage towards Trump.
She mentioned that earlier this month, Trump stated he would “encourage” Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack NATO signatories that aren’t spending enough on defense funding.
“It’s risky and demonstrates a total misunderstanding of America’s position in the world,” Cheney remarked. “It’s absolutely disgraceful.”
Trump has frequently expressed dissatisfaction with NATO countries for not meeting their financial obligations, but the alliance operates differently than he suggests.
NATO operates on the principle of mutual defense, requiring each member country to maintain sufficient defense spending to ensure their military readiness to support other alliance members in case of an attack.
Former GOP Lawmaker Condemns Trump’s NATO Comments as Ignorant and Perilous
According to Article 5 of the agreement, signatories are required to consider an attack on one as an attack on all.
In addition, the US president lacks the authority to single-handedly remove the country from NATO.
“I struggle to envision any other American president of either party since the establishment of NATO making such a statement,” Cheney continued. “It’s utterly uninformed, ignorant, and perilous.”
Throughout the interview, the former Republican lawmaker expressed concerns about the potential consequences of Trump’s favorable stance towards Russia on the Republican Party.
“It’s important to acknowledge the growing influence of a certain faction within the Republican Party,” she emphasized, stressing the need to prevent their presence in the West Wing.
