Sen. Tim Kaine: NATO might help with Iran if Trump stopped “kicking them around”

Who?Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) — US Senate Armed Services CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:What do you make of President Donald Trump publicly calling out America’s NATO allies — including threats to withhold Pentagon support in future conflicts — after European countries refused to send military support to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz?Key Kaine:“He’s been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office — imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally. It is international relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested,” Sen. Tim Kaine exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“If the president was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument — instead, the Europeans are looking at this going, wait a minute,” Kaine tells us.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s exclusive interview with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Tim KaineSCENE: As Sen. Tim Kaine was making his way to the Senate floor to vote via the US Capitol’s basement, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo started walking with him before hopping a Senators Only elevator with the senior member of the powerful and largely bipartisan Senate Armed Services Committee.Matt Laslo: What do you make of President Donald Trump threatening to ditch America’s NATO allies in future conflicts because they have refused to help provide the naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?Sen. Tim Kaine: “He’s been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office.”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “Imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally* and, you know, it is Human Relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested.”*ie, GreenlandML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “So he should stop kicking them around, and then he might get more cooperation.”ML: “And the comparison between Ukraine and Iran — just the conflicts themselves?”Kaine: “Well then, if the President was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument.”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “Instead, the Europeans are looking and going, ‘But wait a minute, you know, this was going on…’”ML: “Yup.”Kaine: “Biden was really supportive of Ukraine. What have you done but been equivocal about it from the very beginning?”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “So it’s not an argument where the President is standing on really solid ground to make an argument.”ML: “Yeah.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe