Trump threatens US defense allies, calls army ‘depleted’

US defense allies, including NATO member states, should pay otherwise they will not be protected at the time of war, says GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, asserting that the US army is itself “depleted.”

His comments came from a pre-recorded interview from Bedminster, New Jersey, broadcast on NBC on Sunday, in which the real estate tycoon said NATO members would be stripped of protection if "they don't pay."

"So all I'm saying is they have to pay. Now a country gets invaded - they haven't paid. Everyone says, 'oh, but we have a treaty'. Well they have a treaty too. They're supposed to be paying. We have countries with NATO that are taking advantage of us. With me, I believe they're going to pay, and when they pay, I'm a big believer in NATO.,” he said.

‘No Germany, no Saudi’

The billionaire businessman added that the US army is getting weak while the country is in debt.

“This isn't 40 years ago. This isn't 50 years ago. It's not 30 years ago. We're a different country today. We're much weaker. Our military is depleted. We owe tremendous amounts of money. We have to be reimbursed. We can no longer be the stupid country," he noted.

Apart from member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Trump also pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan, and South Korea for dependence on the United States.

"You know this goes beyond NATO, because we take care of Japan we take care of Germany we take care of South Korea we take care of Saudi Arabia and we lose on everything. We lose on everything."

‘No Syrian refugees’

The controversial presidential candidate also reiterated his viewpoint about immigrants entering the US, saying he would put in place “tough standards.”

"If a person can't prove that they are from an area, and a person can prove what they have to be able to prove, they're not coming into this country," Trump said, attacking his rival, Democratic presumed nominee Hillary Clinton, over her stance on migration.

“And I would stop the Syrian migration and the Syrian from coming into this country in two seconds. Hillary Clinton wants to take 550 percent more people coming in from that area than Barack Obama. I think she's crazy. I think she's crazy," said the New York businessman.

He further argued that Britons’ decision to quit the European Union also originated from the refugee crisis in Europe.

"Because they've allowed people over years to come into their territory. That's why Brexit happened, OK? Because the UK is saying we're tired of the stuff what's going on. We're tired of it."

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