Biden Reassures NATO Allies: Trump Remarks Shouldn’t ‘Be Taken Seriously’

Joe Biden Joe Biden raises awareness of sexual assault on campus at University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, America - 08 Apr 2016 (Rex Features via AP Images)
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Vice President Joe Biden attempted to put the United States’ NATO allies at ease Tuesday during a trip to Latvia, telling Baltic leaders to pay no attention to Donald Trump’s July comments suggesting he would not automatically defend NATO members.

“I want to make it absolutely clear to all the people in Baltic states: we have pledged our sacred honor, the United States of America … to the NATO treaty and Article Five,” Biden said, according to Reuters.

“The fact that you occasionally hear something from a presidential candidate in the other party, it’s … nothing that should be taken seriously,” he added.

The vice president said that there’s “continued overwhelming bipartisan commitment in the United States of America in both political parties to maintain our commitment to NATO,” according to Reuters.

Trump’s comments last month indicating he would only help NATO allies after he assessed whether that “have fulfilled their obligations to us” set off alarm bells in Europe. The U.S. NATO Secretary General‎ Jens Stoltenberg quickly set out to assure NATO members that the alliance was committed to mutual security. Trump’s comments were condemned on the left and the right.

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Notable Replies

  1. Shorter Biden: Trump shouldn’t be taken seriously…

  2. Trump: I don’t take myself seriously. If NATO pays me more money than Putin, I will be for NATO.

  3. Dear World, please bear with us while we destroy this kook.

  4. OT but still bigly yuge relevant…

    Former IRS chief says Trump has no excuse to not release his tax returns

    A couple of my own disclosures: I had the honor of being appointed IRS chief counsel by President Reagan, and being appointed IRS commissioner and then Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the United States Treasury by President George H.W. Bush. This year, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton . I am confident she will keep us safe and that she could and would work with Republicans in Congress to lead our country to a better future for all Americans.

    Commentary by Fred Goldberg, who was appointed IRS chief counsel by President Ronald Reagan and as IRS commissioner and as Assistant Treasury Secretary for tax policy by President George H.W. Bush.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/former-irs-chief-says-trump-100000186.html

  5. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    Please ignore the buffoon would normally be an outrageous thing to say about a Presidential candidate.

    The fact that in this case, it isn’t, speaks volumes.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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