NATO's 70th summit is underway in London on 3-4 December. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump called out his French counterpart, who, in an interview to The Economist said that the world was experiencing the "brain death" of NATO. French President Macron's comments were directed at the US, warning the members that the alliance could no longer rely on the North American country.
'It is a very, very nasty statement,' Trump
Sitting beside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, when asked about Macron's 'brain death' comment, the US President called it "very nasty", New York Times reported. "It is a very, very nasty statement", the US President said. "You just can't go around making statements like that about NATO. It is very disrespectful", he further added.
Terming the statement as dangerous, Trump said, "Nobody needs NATO more than France... the US benefits the least. It's a very dangerous statement for them to make". "I'm looking at him [Mr Macron] and I'm saying that he needs protection more than anybody and I see him breaking off [from Nato]. So I'm a little surprised at that."
Taking a dig at the French economy and its high unemployment rate, he stated that it is a very tough statement to make considering the current situation of France. The US President said while reiterating his long-standing complaint about NATO members not spending more.
The American leader also said, "I do see France breaking off. I'm looking at him and I'm saying he (Macron) needs protection more than anybody and I see him breaking off, so I'm a little surprised."
Trump's statement comes within a week when Turkish President Erdogan blasted at Macron by saying that it was him [Macron] who was undergoing brain death. French President has criticized Turkey for its invasion of Syrian Kurdish areas, and assault against the Syrian Kurds, who stood as major NATO allies during its fight against ISIS.
Donald Trump-not a NATO fan himself
Trump, himself has on multiple occasions criticized the military alliance, calling it 'obsolete' and criticized NATO members of 'not spending more'. According to a report published in the New York Times, Trump had on multiple occasions expressed his willingness to pull US out of NATO.
On Tuesday, in his comment, Trump praised NATO by saying, "The world has changed a lot and Nato is changing right now. I've become a bigger fan of Nato because they have become more flexible."
