French European Commissioner Thierry Breton claims that Donald Trump once said that America would not come to the aid of Eurpoean allies if they were attacked militarily, Politico reported.
"'You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you,'" Trump told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020, according to Breton.
Breton recounted the story at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. He says the EU's then-trade chief Phil Hogan was also present for Trump's comments.
"'By the way, NATO is dead, and we will leave, we will quit NATO,'" Trump also said, according to Breton. "And he added, ‘And by the way, you owe me $400 billion, because you didn’t pay, you Germans, what you had to pay for defense,'" Breton said.
"That was a big wake-up call and he may come back," Breton said about Trump. "So now more than ever, we know that we are on our own, of course. We are a member of NATO, almost all of us, of course we have allies, but we have no other options but to increase drastically this pillar in order to be ready [for] whatever happens.”
An analyst Monday gave a stark warning ahead of the elections Tuesday, saying that voters are signaling they have had enough and are ready to say "to hell with you all."
President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a second-term low: dropping to 63% among Americans disapproving of him and 37% approving of him, according to a new CNN poll released Monday, just ahead of the off-year election day. Democrats are also showing an advantage when it comes to motivation ahead of the elections, with 67% of Democratic leaning voters saying they are highly motivated to vote vs. 46% of Republican leaning voters saying they are motivated to cast their ballots.
"Republicans are going to have a bad day tomorrow," Frank Luntz, pollster and communications strategist, told CNN anchors Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar.
Many of the elections are local or statewide, he added. A key race on the West Coast has his attention.
"But the one that matters the most for the country is the vote in California, whether or not they're going to change the laws for redistricting," Luntz said. "And that could mean as much as a five-seat Democratic gain, five-seat Republican loss if [Gov.] Gavin Newsom is successful in his ballot initiative. At this point, I think he will be. And that's going to send shockwaves across the country as people begin to look at what's going to happen a year from now. I do believe Democrats win the governorship in New Jersey and Virginia, a socialist is going to be elected mayor of New York [City]. But the one that I'm going to be watching most carefully is California."
As the government shutdown drags out into its second month, Americans are tired of it. And that could be reflected in the election outcome, he added.
"And this is the breaking point. When you don't pay our men and women in uniform and they have to go without their weekly paychecks. And you start to have people who cannot afford their food and fuel, then it starts to have an impact. And then people start to say, 'Why is this happening?'" Luntz said.
"I believe that the shutdown is politically motivated," he added. "I believe that if they wanted to, they could find common ground, but they choose not to. And that is hurting the Republican brand, the Republican reputation. Their numbers are down. As you point out in your own polling, with Donald Trump. But the numbers that have fallen the worst, to my surprise, are the Democrats. Everyone is being hurt by this. Everyone's credibility and respect and looking at the government and the public just looks at this and says, 'Why? Why can't you find some agreement? Why can't you give? Can you? Why can't you cooperate?' And that's going to be a very big question. Wednesday and Thursday when this election is over. It is hurting the Republicans, but it seems to be hurting the Democrats even more."
Although it's difficult to predict what might happen next, redistricting is expected to impact the future.
"I'm going to be direct with you. The idea of changing the rules midway is abhorrent that these districts, the lines are drawn and they're supposed to sit for 10 years. And the fact that Republicans have changed the rules in Texas to change them in Ohio, they changed them in North Carolina. Democrats are trying to do the same. They filed lawsuits in New York. They're trying to win in California. It's going to undermine the faith and trust that we have in democracy. And I think it's one of the worst things that could be happening right now," Luntz said.
It's worrying to see the shifting attitudes towards government, especially amid a government shutdown, inflation, affordability and redistricting.
"And I look at this objectively as someone who measures public opinion and it is frightening how low these institutions, their credibility, how much they have fallen, and how the lack of belief and faith and trust in our democracy seems to be hitting an all-time low," Luntz said. "And I am concerned, and I'm hoping that the people who engage in this process pay attention, because we're reaching a breaking point, and it's coming. And after that breaking point, who knows? Who can predict what happens when the public finally says, 'To hell with you all?' And that's where we're heading right now."
President Donald Trump spent much of his early afternoon rattling off a long list of congressional endorsements on his Truth Social account — but he took time to conspicuously call out one particular Republican he is not endorsing.
Specifically, Trump posted a rambling manifesto against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a libertarian-leaning Republican lawmaker who has gained a reputation as something of a rebel within the caucus, often defying Trump's more authoritarian impulses and bucking the party on various spending items.
"Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!" wrote Trump. "The incredible people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District gave us a mandate to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and the person that will help us do that is Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Fifth Generation Kentucky Farmer, Captain Ed Gallrein, a true America First Patriot."
Trump then went into a lengthy laundry list of praise for Gallrein, saying that he "knows how to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Support our Amazing Farmers and American Agriculture, Unleash American Energy Dominance, and Champion our Nation’s Golden Age."
"Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left," wrote Trump. "Unlike 'lightweight' Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!"
This is not the first time Trump has gone out of his way to target Massie. Last month, he proclaimed the congressman should be "thrown out of office" and once again told voters to back Gallrein over him.
Among Trump's claims on Sunday was that he inherited the highest inflation that the United States has ever seen.
"But my second term is blowing it away. It's blowing it away when you look at the numbers, the stock market, the jobs. Look at the job numbers, how good they've been. And, again, I have costs down. Remember, Biden gave me the worst inflation rate in the history of our country--" Trump told Norah O'Donnell.
The highest inflation in U.S. history happened during World War I between 1917 to 1920, when inflation eclipsed 15%, Investopedia recalled.
Baker noted that inflation is a little closer to 3% as of September. One year ago, in September 2024, inflation was 2.4%.
Later in the interview, Baker noted that Trump claimed his tariffs "haven't led to inflation." In fact, according to Trump, "We have no inflation. We have no inflation. Biden had inflation, and he didn't have tariffs. He didn't use tariffs."
"Trump to CBS: 'I inherited the worst inflation in the history of our country.' Inflation when Trump took office: 3 percent Trump: 'We have no inflation.' Inflation now: 3 percent," Baker said.
