Donald Trump Claims South Korea Paid $3 Billion for Protection

Donald Trump claimed on Monday that South Korea previously paid $3 billion annually for the U.S. military presence and that Joe Biden rescinded this arrangement after South Korean officials convinced him that Trump was a bad person. He asserted that South Korea had not paid for protection prior to his first term and claimed the 2020 election was rigged.

Fact checks indicate these claims are false. South Korea has shared costs via Special Measures Agreements since 1991, paying over $800 million annually before 2017. Under a 2019 agreement negotiated by Trump, payments remained under $1 billion rather than $3 billion. Joe Biden did not rescind cost-sharing orders; his administration signed new agreements in 2021 and 2024 that increased South Korean spending.

These comments followed an announcement by Trump that the U.S. would reduce military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.