Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is squeezing the American taxpayer and European Union governments are skipping out on paying their fair share because Joe Biden lacks the wits to put America first, Donald Trump told The National Pulse editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam.
“I think these are the dumbest people I’ve ever seen,” the former president said of Biden and the people who run his government in an exclusive interview.
“I just watched him today with Zelensky, handing over money, money, just like nothing; like taking candy from a baby,” he lamented.
“Look, I feel very badly for the Ukrainian people,” Trump stressed. “Here’s the problem: Europe isn’t paying their share. Europe’s in for 25 billion, and we’re in for 200 billion,” he explained, likening the issue to the one he dealt with regarding NATO during his presidency.
“In NATO, they weren’t paying up. Twenty-eight countries, and almost all of them were not paid up; they owed hundreds of billions of dollars and we were spending three times, four times than we were supposed to just keeping it together for them – and then they took advantage of us on trade on top of everything else,” Trump said.
“I said listen, if you don’t pay, we’re not going to defend you any longer… I said if you’re not paid up, if you’re delinquent, which you are right now, that means if you get attacked we’re not going to do any defense of you. The money poured in like you wouldn’t believe,” he recalled.
“The [NATO] Secretary-General, [Jens] Stoltenberg, said he’s never seen anything like it… Obama would come, make a speech and leave, Bush would come, make a speech and leave, Trump would come and say what’s wrong with your books here? Nobody’s paying.”
Trump said the Europeans could not be blamed for letting America do all the heavy lifting, however, as America under Biden has proved so willing to be taken advantage of: “They’re saying, why should we do it when the stupid leaders of the United States are doing it? I would say the same thing: If you don’t have to do it, you don’t have to do it,” he said, analyzing the Europeans’ minimum-effort attitude with a businessman’s eye.
He vowed there would be equalization when he returns to the White House, however, with Europe told in no uncertain terms that any future payments would have to be “at least” 50-50.
