Monday on CNN’s “The Lead,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) reiterated his opposition to the United States pulling out of NATO.
The Nebraska Republican lawmaker said it would be a “disaster,” adding that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric had damaged Europe’s trust in the United States.
“The president today again slammed NATO, calling NATO a paper tiger,” host Jake Tapper said. “He has recently said he’s going to consider withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. You say that would be unacceptable. It would cause a civil war within the GOP conference. Have you tried to speak directly to the president about this to share your perspective?”
Bacon replied, “I’ve not had direct conversation with him, but I have had with members of his team. And I just want to restate, pulling out of NATO would be a disaster for decades to come. It would weaken America. America alone is a weaker America. And our European allies are democratic. They reflect our values. We need to work together with Europe on the world’s problems. We need their help to deter Russia, we need Japan and Australia to help deter China, and we need allies around us in the Middle East. We can’t do it alone.”
“And I would point out that though there’s some blame to go on both sides, the president’s threats towards Greenland, Denmark, and Canada have really hurt our standing in Europe,” he added. “I know some of the prime ministers and presidents personally, I know many of the ambassadors, and that caused a great damage. The trust between the European leaders towards President Trump is significantly weakened. I think it’s going to take post, after Trump leaves, for us to be able to heal this if we even can then. So, great damage has been done, and I think it has hurt our national security by what has happened.”
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