Trump’s Latest NATO Gaffe Proves He Shouldn't Be Anywhere Near The Levers Of Power

Donald Trump’s latest gaffe — this one about NATO — has ignited a firestorm of responses. There was proper focus on some aspects of his comment. I see something else, though, perhaps not as dangerous but still troubling, and clear markers for why a person of such character does not deserve a place near the levers of power.

We should define the term gaffe. Most people associate it, especially of late, with President Joe Biden’s misstatements and slips of memory. Let’s accept the fact that both candidates are elderly and that the 2024 election is likely to be full of so many senior moments on both sides that any evaluation based on memory will be a wash.

Other things should be of greater concern: Do they understand how our government works? Do they understand the complexities of domestic policy issues and the intricacies of international relations? Do they surround themselves with advisers equipped with firsthand knowledge who are capable, qualified, thoughtful, concerned and more pro-democracy than pro-party, whose loyalty is to their country rather than a figurehead?

Trump fails on all these counts and more, as his comment readily illustrates.

For the record, at a political rally in South Carolina last weekend, Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to “delinquent countries in Europe he believes aren’t spending enough on defense. He described a meeting, apparently while president, in which he responded to an ally about NATO funding.

The audience, blindly faithful as ever, applauded.

Media focus was largely twofold: the recklessness of such a comment (the White House called it unhinged) and descriptions of how NATO functions, its