Kerry Responds To Trump Comments On NATO: It Was ‘Inappropriate’

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Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday evening criticized Donald Trump for bashing the NATO alliance and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“I thought, frankly, it was inappropriate for a President-elect of the United States be stepping in to the politics of other countries in a quite direct manner,” Kerry told CNN. “He’ll have to speak to that. As of Friday, he’s responsible for that relationship.”

In interviews published on Sunday, Trump called NATO “obsolete” and praised the United Kingdom for leaving the European Union. Trump also called Merkel’s policy accepting refugees from the Middle East “catastrophic.”

Kerry told CNN that Trump should be “careful” about criticizing “one of the strongest leaders in Europe.”

“I think she was extremely courageous. I don’t think it amounts to that characterization at all,” he added. “It has had some problems, but everybody’s had some problems.”

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