You’re delinquent?’ He said: ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. You gotta pay,” Trump said. Attendees cheer as former US president Donald Trump arrives on stage during a “Get Out The Vote” rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday. Trump, front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, was a fierce critic of NATO when he was president, repeatedly threatening to pull out of the alliance. He cut defense funding to NATO and frequently complained that the US was paying more than its fair share.