Donald Trump says his administration might not back NATO allies if Russia invades

In a 45-minute interview with The New York Times in his Cleveland hotel room on Wednesday, Donald Trump spoke at length about foreign policy. He shared some interesting ideas, all tied to his theme of "America first." He said he would "pull out of NAFTA in a split second" if Mexico and Canada didn't agree to renegotiate on terms much more favorable to the U.S., for example, and suggested America has no place telling countries like Turkey to respect human rights: "When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don't think we are a very good messenger."

But perhaps the most unorthodox part of the interview was Trump's views on NATO, the 28-member military alliance of pledged mutual defense in Europe. The Times asked Trump what he would do if Russia attacked the Baltic States, the newest members of NATO, and Trump said he would come to their aid only after looking at whether they "have fulfilled their obligations to us," financially and otherwise. "If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes," he added.

Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan said in response that "Ronald Reagan would be ashamed" of Trump's abdication on NATO and his "bizarre and obsequious fascination with Russia's strongman, Vladimir Putin." ("And he's right," former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum tweeted of Sullivan's analysis.)

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In general, The Times reports, Trump "defined American global interests almost purely in economic terms," particularly their "economic benefit to the United States," something "no presidential candidate in modern times" has done — and a prioritization at odds with many speakers at his own Republican National Convention. U.S. military deployments in Asia, Europe, and elsewhere around the world are costing America a bundle, Trump said. "If we decide we have to defend the United States, we can always deploy" troops from American soil, he suggested, "and it will be a lot less expensive." Citing his price for U.S. trade losses, Trump said "we are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800 billion," adding, "That doesn't sound very smart to me." You can read more about Trump's thoughts on Syria, Russia, trade, North Korea, Turkey, and other foreign policy issues at The New York Times.