Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden predicted in an interview aired Friday that the North Atlantic Trade Organization will fall apart if President Trump secures a second term in the White House.
The current frontrunner among Democrats seeking to challenge Mr. Trump in 2020, Mr. Biden surmised the bloc’s demise during a wide-ranging interview with CNN host Chris Cuomo.
“If he wins reelection, I promise you, there’ll be no NATO in four years or five years,” said Mr. Biden.
“Why did we set up NATO, Chris? So no one nation could abuse the power in the region, in Europe, that would suck us in in the way that they did in World War One and World War Two,” Mr. Biden continued. “It’s being crushed.”
Mr. Trump has regularly raised concerns about NATO since before taking office, and The New York Times reported in January that he repeatedly discussed withdrawing in 2018.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Mr. Biden is among more than two dozen candidates currently seeking the Democratic nomination to compete against Mr. Trump in next year’s presidential election and is currently leading the pack among likely voters, according to recent polling.
He repeatedly slammed Mr. Trump’s foreign policy elsewhere in the CNN interview, accusing the president of “absolutely dissing” allies and “embracing thugs” including the leaders of Russia and North Korea.
“The idea that we can go it alone with no alliances for the next 20 or 30 years is a disaster,” Mr. Biden said.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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