A third back Trump’s attack on Nato budget

Polling in key battleground states shows support for former president’s stance on low-paying countries

A THIRD of voters in key battleground states think the US should abandon Nato members if they refuse to meet the alliance’s defence spending target.

The figure, based on polling commissioned for The Telegraph, suggests that Donald Trump’s criticisms of the institution, which has become the bedrock for security in Europe, are resonating. While voters strongly support US membership of Nato, a significant proportion believe that the alliance’s collective defence should be reliant on meeting a target to spend two per cent of GDP on the military. The largest group of voters think Europe is too reliant on the US for military defence.

It comes after Mr Trump falsely claimed that the US paid for “90 or 100 per cent” of Nato defence spending and that he would only stay in the alliance if other countries paid their “fair share”.

The former president has publicly criticised Nato countries that do not meet the spending target. Last month, he said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” with countries not spending enough on defence. Asked whether the US should continue to defend countries that do not meet the target, an average of 31 per cent of voters said that it should not. Nearly 50 per cent said the US should, while 20 per cent did not know.

The research is the latest in a series of polls for this newspaper by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, tracking the views of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Following the outbreak of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, defence has become a major campaign issue for both parties.

Nine in 10 voters in those states believe that defence will be important in deciding their vote, and a majority in five of the six said that the US should increase defence spending. Mr Trump, who polled ahead of Mr Biden in all six states, was thought to be more trustworthy on defence issues, while the Republican Party generally was trusted more than the Democrats. Philip van Scheltinga of Redfield and Wilton Strategies said: “There is a strong sense among the American public that Joe Biden has been a weak president, including or, perhaps, especially on foreign policy. Voters feel like their country is not seriously addressing the threats it faces, namely China.

“Our polling makes clear that those who will vote for Trump want a stronger United States, with increased defence spending, a greater focus on the threat of China, and, critically, stronger allies.

“Few have picked up on it, but Trump has recently started using the slogan, ‘Make America Powerful Again’ in his speeches. That pitch resonates with his voters and shows what could come from a future Trump Presidency.”

In an interview with Nigel Farage this week, Mr Trump said his controversial comments about Nato were “a form of negotiation” and committed to remaining in the alliance if other countries increase spending.

Mr Biden has called his rival’s comments “un-american”, while Julianne Smith, the US’S ambassador to Nato, said “encouraging the Kremlin to attack Nato allies is irrational and dangerous”.

The comments also prompted alarm in Europe. David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said talking down Nato allies was “not a sensible approach”.

The vast majority of voters in swing states support Nato, with around two thirds responding that the US should remain in the alliance. Between 13 and 16 per cent said the US should leave.

Given the choice between the US using its power to “seek to be a global force for good” or “only seek to defend itself from direct threats”, a majority of voters said it should be a force for good.

Voters were asked about a series of defence issues, including which country posed the greatest threat to the US and which were its greatest allies.

The largest group of voters in all states said that China was the biggest threat to the US, followed by Russia, North Korea and Iran.