Republican front-runner expresses concerns over US relationship with Saudi Arabia, which he accuses of not pitching in fair pay for US defense. | |||||
Middle East Online | |||||
MILWAUKEE
(Wisconsin) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on
Saturday questioned the United States' protective relationship with
Saudi Arabia and again accused US allies of not pulling their weight in
the NATO military alliance despite mounting bipartisan pressure on Trump
to soften his tone.
The billionaire businessman told a
campaign rally in Racine, Wisconsin that allies in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization "are not paying their fair share" and called the
28-nation alliance "obsolete."
"Either they pay up,
including for past deficiencies, or they have to get out. And if it
breaks up NATO, it breaks up NATO," Trump said.
Trump
has frequently criticized NATO in recent weeks as the race for the
Republican nomination for the November 8 election has heated up.
At
a campaign stop in Wausau, Wisconsin on Saturday, Trump expressed
concerns over the United States' relationship with oil-rich Saudi
Arabia, which Trump accused of not pitching in fair pay for US defense.
"We take care of Saudi Arabia. Now nobody's going to mess with Saudi Arabia because we're watching them," he said.
"They're not paying us a fair price. We're losing our shirt," he said.
On
Friday, Obama cast doubt on Trump's fitness for office after the former
reality TV star refused to rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe and
said Japan and South Korea might need nuclear arms.
"The
person who made the statements doesn't know much about foreign policy
or nuclear policy or the Korean peninsula, or the world generally,"
Obama said, warning that the world is closely watching the US election
rhetoric.
"I've said before that people pay attention
to American elections. What we do is really important to the rest of the
world," Obama said.
Trump's comments on NATO have also
sent ripples through the Republican Party, which has traditionally
promoted a muscular foreign policy.
Tuesday could be a turning point in the Republican nomination race, when Wisconsin hosts its nominating contest.
Trump, 69, trails his leading rival, US Senator Ted Cruz, 45, of Texas in the Upper Midwestern state.
A
Cruz win would make it harder for Trump to reach the magic number of
1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the Republican
national convention in July. The winner will get to claim all of
Wisconsin's 42 delegates.
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blog archive
Sunday 3 April 2016
Trump bashes US protective relationship with Saudi Arabia
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