On Tuesday, President Joe Biden strongly rejected Donald Trump’s harsh critique of NATO, attempting to portray backing the former president as a danger to American interests.

According to him, Republican lawmakers are faced with a decision of either standing with America or with Trump when considering whether to back a congressional proposal that would provide aid for Ukraine’s defense.

Biden criticized Trump’s recent comments from the White House, where he stated that during his presidency, he informed NATO leaders that he would not protect members who did not fulfill their financial obligations to the alliance. Additionally, Trump stated that he would even back Russian aggression against these members.

“I told another leader to let Russia do whatever they want,” Trump stated, encouraging their actions.

Biden declared on Tuesday that no previous president has ever shown deference to a Russian leader, and he himself will never do so. He emphasized that this behavior is foolish, disgraceful, perilous, and goes against American values.

On Tuesday, Biden called on House representatives to approve a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel in order to increase security. The Senate had already approved the package earlier in the day.

According to Biden, this bill, supported by both political parties, conveys a strong message to Ukrainians, as well as our partners and allies worldwide, that America is a trustworthy nation.

Rewording: The United States can be trusted and is a defender of freedom. We remain steadfast in our support for our allies and refuse to submit to anyone, especially Vladimir Putin. Let’s move forward with this. It’s important to note that the United States rallied nearly 50 nations to stand with Ukraine.

Biden utilized the previous president as a contrast to outline key principles of his international strategy.

According to Biden, when Trump considers NATO, he does not view it as the protector of America and the rest of the world. Instead, he sees it as a form of extortion. Trump fails to comprehend that NATO is founded upon core values of liberty, safety, and independence.

Biden asserted that Trump’s principles do not benefit Americans, but rather their adversaries.

“Our rivals have been attempting to weaken the alliance for a long time,” he stated. “The ultimate desire of those who want to harm America is for NATO to disintegrate. It is certain that they celebrated when they learned about Donald Trump.”

Biden’s comments did not elicit an immediate response from his political critics. However, according to experts in presidential rhetoric, Biden utilized a tried-and-tested tactic that has been effective in the past.

Jeremi Suri, a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, stated that it is common for presidents to appear more presidential when taking a tough stance against foreign dictators. He believes that this would be a good opportunity for the current president to demonstrate his capabilities. Suri also noted that this concept is a well-known and somewhat cliché one.

According to him, Biden’s statements may have an impact on Republican legislators.

He stated that this could have significant real-life consequences, as there is increasing pressure for House Republicans seeking reelection to demonstrate a sound foreign policy stance.

VOA asked two representatives of the Trump campaign what the former president made of Biden’s words. They did not immediately respond.