Scott Newman

And he suggested that future U.S.

help to allies could depend on them, quote, paying their bills.

He also floated the idea of buying Greenland.

Now, fast forward.

By his second term, the Greenland talk had turned into threats of seizing it by force, despite Greenland belonging to NATO member Denmark.

He also spoke openly about annexing another ally, Canada.

Here's former NATO Ambassador Ivo Daldr.

Now, Trump is again threatening to withdraw from NATO while tensions grow over U.S.

policy in the Strait of Hormuz.

Well, no one I talk to thinks Trump will follow through on his threats to exit NATO altogether.

In any case, that would require approval by Congress.

But allies increasingly view the U.S.

as an unreliable partner.

And NATO is actively planning for a future where the U.S.

takes a backseat and countries like Germany step up to take the lead.

Well, Germany has in fact committed to a significant increase in its own troop levels with a view to taking a larger role in NATO.

But a bigger problem is that Europe and Canada don't have the same capacity as the US to conduct long range precision strikes.

We're talking about big transport planes, bombers and cruise missiles.

And their navies don't come close to the U.S.

either.