Military

Trump says US allies should pay in full for military protection

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said U.S. allies including Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia should be compelled to pay in full for American military protection.

“We’re providing a tremendous service,” Trump said in a recorded interview shown on CNN. The U.S. “is stone cold broke,” he said.

Asked about statements that seemed to support a nuclear-armed Japan as a deterrent to potential North Korean or Chinese aggression, Trump said that while the U.S. is bound to defend Japan in the event of an attack, the reverse isn’t true.

“That’s up to them,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. had to be prepared to walk away from agreements that are costing it billions of dollars. Reminded that he was talking about major U.S. allies, Trump said “it has to work both ways.”