Republicans defended former President Donald Trump on Sunday over remarks he made about encouraging Russia to attack countries that do not meet NATO’s defense spending goals, saying they weren’t concerned and that his words shouldn’t be taken literally.
“I think he’s trying to make a point. I’m not worried about it at all,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. He said starting a war would be the “last thing” Russia would do if Trump were president.
Speaking on CNN, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who last year sponsored a law that prevented any U.S. president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without consent of the Senate, said he had “zero” concerns about Trump’s comments and argued they were being misinterpreted.
“Donald Trump is not a member of the Council on Foreign Relations,” Rubio said. “He doesn’t talk like a traditional politician, and we’ve already been through this. You would think people would’ve figured it out by now.”
At a rally in South Carolina on Saturday night, Trump recalled his efforts to pressure NATO countries to increase their defense spending during his first term.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well sir if we don’t pay and we’re