GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Tuesday that Donald Trump was engaging in a "pre-emptive surrender" to Islamic terror by calling for a "withdrawal" from NATO on the eve of the Brussels terror attacks.
On Monday, Trump told CNN that the U.S. should greatly reduce its support of NATO.
"It's too much and frankly it's a different world than it was when we originally conceived of the idea," Trump said of the US-European security alliance.
Cruz said he found it "striking" that the terror attacks occurred on the day after his rival candidate Donald Trump called for reducing the U.S. role NATO.
"We see Brussels where NATO is headquartered as the subject of a radical Islamic terrorist attack," Cruz said in a press conference from Washington D.C.
"Donald Trump is wrong that America should withdraw from the world and abandon our allies. Donald Trump is wrong that America should retreat from Europe, retreat from NATO, hand Vladimir Putin a major victory, and while's he's at it, hand ISIS a major victory."
Instead, said the Texas senator, NATO would be crucial in any United States effort in "utterly destroying ISIS."
"And I would note that NATO is ready to act in a way our president is not," said Cruz.
"Donald Trump's proposal to withdraw from the world, to withdraw from NATO and Europe is sadly consistent with his statement that he intends to be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians."
Cruz also said Trump's approach was similar to Obama's.
"We have seen for 7 years a president that cannot distinguish between our friends and enemies. A president that cannot distinguish between the nation of Israel and Islamic terrorists who seek to murder us, and it would be a mistake to elect another president who buys into the same left-wing moral relativism that equates the terrorist blowing himself you have and murdering innocent civilians to the brave soldiers and law enforcement officers risking everything to keep us safe."
Cruz was not alone for criticizing Trump on his stand on NATO.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, appearing on Fox News Tuesday morning, said Trump's plan for downsizing the U.S. role in NATO was dangerous as we confront the grave threat of Islamic terrorism.