As a tariff deadline looms for Japan and South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump is again demanding Asian allies cough up more cash for hosting American troops and hinting that they should spend more on their own defense — a signal that he is continuing to link trade with defense issues.
Trump on Tuesday singled out South Korea, saying it “pays us very little" for stationing some 28,500 U.S. troops in the country. His remarks — the latest to allege that some American allies have been fleecing Washington — came a day after Trump sent letters to South Korea's and Japan's leaders laying out his plans to impose a 25% tariff on imports from their countries from Aug. 1.
“It's very unfair. We supply the militaries to many very successful countries,” he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in response to a question about his tariff campaign. “South Korea is making a lot of money, and they're very good. They're very good, but you know, they should be paying for their own military.”
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