Trump tells German paper: NATO is ‘obsolete’

President-elect Donald Trump called NATO obsolete, according to a Bloomberg Politics report about an interview the president-elect gave to Germany’s Bild newspaper. 

“It’s obsolete, first because it was designed many, many years ago,” Trump was quoted as saying about NATO. “Secondly, countries aren’t paying what they should” and NATO “didn’t deal with terrorism.”

He also said BMW would face a 35 percent import duty on foreign-built BMWs sold in the U.S. Trump told Bild that the company should halt plans to open a new plant in Mexico and instead create a U.S. factory.

The president-elect also dinged German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying she hurt Germany by letting “all these illegals” into the country.

When asked if he’d like to see her reelected, he told Bild he couldn’t say because he doesn’t know her, according to Bloomberg Politics, although he respects her. 

During the campaign, Trump made waves by saying he would look at whether NATO allies have “fulfilled their obligations to us” before deciding whether to defend them if they are attacked.

He also repeatedly called NATO obsolete over the course of the campaign, saying it should do more to fight terrorism.