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Trump scolds NATO allies over defense spending

Cardinal

Cardinal

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Brussels (CNN)President Donald Trump on Thursday chided NATO member countries directly for not meeting their financial commitments to the alliance and declined to reiterate US commitment to the alliance's mutual defense pledge.

"Members of the alliance must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations," Trump told the heads of state, who stood silently -- some shifting uncomfortably -- behind him.
"Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defense. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States," he said.

The call appeared to reveal Trump's continued misunderstanding of NATO members' defense commitments. While Trump argued that many of the allies "owe massive amounts of money from past years," the 2% defense spending benchmark that allies must meet is designed to boost their military, not to funnel money to NATO or other allies.
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Trump scolds NATO allies over defense spending - CNNPolitics.com

You can watch Trump's speech along with the reactions of the leaders of NATO here.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/867801005018230786

When taking into consideration Trump's repeated hostilities with our closest allies, his repeated threats not to come to the defense of NATO, his comfort and close relationship with the Russian ambassadors and his willingness to share sensitive classified information with them, passing on fake news stories created by Russians (active measures), numerous people on his campaign and administration who have worked with Russian officials and lied about it, knowingly appointing a foreign agent as his National Security Adviser, and the Russians planning on how to influence Trump through his advisors, and finally the White House wavering on sanctions against Russia, it's my official position that Trump is an agent for Russia.
 
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Cardinal said:
Trump scolds NATO allies over defense spending - CNNPolitics.com

You can watch Trump's speech along with the reactions of the leaders of NATO here.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/867801005018230786

When taking into consideration Trump's repeated hostilities with our closest allies, his repeated threats not to come to the defense of NATO, his comfort and close relationship with the Russian ambassadors and his willingness to share sensitive classified information with them, passing on fake news stories created by Russians (active measures), numerous people on his campaign and administration who have worked with Russian officials and lied about it, knowingly appointing a foreign agent as his National Security Adviser, and the Russians planning on how to influence Trump through his advisors, and finally the White House wavering on sanctions against Russia, it's my official position that Trump is an agent for Russia.
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A bit overt, don't you think?


Or is this one of those, it's so overt, it's covert, kinda things?
 
KevinKohler said:
A bit overt, don't you think?


Or is this one of those, it's so overt, it's covert, kinda things?
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It's useful to remember you don't even need to know you're an agent of a foreign country in order to be influenced/persuaded/blackmailed/etc into working for the interests of that country.

As Brennan said: "...individuals who go along that treasonous path do not even realize they’re along that path until it gets to be a bit too late."
 
Cardinal said:
Trump scolds NATO allies over defense spending - CNNPolitics.com

You can watch Trump's speech along with the reactions of the leaders of NATO here.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/867801005018230786

When taking into consideration Trump's repeated hostilities with our closest allies, his repeated threats not to come to the defense of NATO, his comfort and close relationship with the Russian ambassadors and his willingness to share sensitive classified information with them, passing on fake news stories created by Russians (active measures), numerous people on his campaign and administration who have worked with Russian officials and lied about it, knowingly appointing a foreign agent as his National Security Adviser, and the Russians planning on how to influence Trump through his advisors, and finally the White House wavering on sanctions against Russia, it's my official position that Trump is an agent for Russia.
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The only people that think that Trump is an agent of Russia are the American liberals. That is because they listen to their man too much. But I will admit that our msm are trying to persuade our allies of such idiocies. Treaterous, really. ;)
 
Trump's behavior in Brussels is embarrassing for the United States. He was/is the quintessential ugly American. Trump was at times rude, arrogant and certainly undiplomatic. The video clip of him grabbing Prime Minister Markovic, pushing him aside followed by his thuggish dick waving demeanor has been aired again and again here in Mexico. I can only imagine how it is being received in the rest of the world. Trump kissed Saudi ass and treated our closest allies with something bordering distain.
 
Cardinal said:
It's useful to remember you don't even need to know you're an agent of a foreign country in order to be influenced/persuaded/blackmailed/etc into working for the interests of that country.
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Do you whine about American servicemen and service women who are often over deployed because the Euro's expect us to patrol the Mediterranean as per agreement after the second world war?

Why don't the Euro's take control of patrolling the Med?

Why didn't the Euro's go into Libya when their petroleum supply was threatened, instead of America?

Why didn't Europe handle the Egyptian crisis?

Why doesn't Europe keep Turkey in line?

Why did Europe let Crimea go with nothing more than a extra strong liberal condemnation?

If any part of the world is operating in fear of Putin's & Muslim influence, it's Europe.
 
KevinKohler said:
A bit overt, don't you think?


Or is this one of those, it's so overt, it's covert, kinda things?
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The Europeans know full well that they are free riding and some have been correcting their ways as well as pushing their fellow Europeans to stop it. Obama was a whimp in this respect, so a number of Nations kicked the can down the road while poopooing the the notion of really spending a fair share. Domestically the politicians and bureaucrats knew that the crunch would come and admitted it. The crunch is now closer. That is, what Trump has reminded them of.
 
Risky Thicket said:
Trump's behavior in Brussels is embarrassing for the United States. He was/is the quintessential ugly American. Trump was at times rude, arrogant and certainly undiplomatic. The video clip of him grabbing Prime Minister Markovic, pushing him aside followed by his thuggish dick waving demeanor has been aired again and again here in Mexico. I can only imagine how it is being received in the rest of the world. Trump kissed Saudi ass and treated our closest allies with something bordering distain.
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Trump could have been his usual Trumpy self with Israel or Saudi Arabia. But he wasn't. He specifically brought out his worst side with NATO. With everything else we now know, seeing the two contrasted behaviors as a coincidence requires a toxic level of credulousness.
 
Risky Thicket said:
Trump's behavior in Brussels is embarrassing for the United States. He was/is the quintessential ugly American. Trump was at times rude, arrogant and certainly undiplomatic. The video clip of him grabbing Prime Minister Markovic, pushing him aside followed by his thuggish dick waving demeanor has been aired again and again here in Mexico. I can only imagine how it is being received in the rest of the world. Trump kissed Saudi ass and treated our closest allies with something bordering distain.
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He's a first-class schmuck who is in way over his orange head.

Donald Trump 'tells European leaders he is worried about American jobs after Brexit'

wtf? Trump supported Bexit, praised Nigel Farage, and hoped the EU would break up in the wake of Brexit. Who is he crapping?

Donald J. Trump ✔
@realDonaldTrump
They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!
7:11 AM - 18 Aug 2016
 
Trump looked like the adult dressing down a group of teenagers. Among the kids, you had the ones who looked downright uncomfortable...the joker who can't, or won't, take anything seriously...the stony-faced kids who were thinking how they can get back at Dad.

However, this group of kids deserved to be lectured. They have been behaving badly.
 
Mycroft said:
Trump looked like the adult dressing down a group of teenagers. Among the kids, you had the ones who looked downright uncomfortable...the joker who can't, or won't, take anything seriously...the stony-faced kids who were thinking how they can get back at Dad.

However, this group of kids deserved to be lectured. They have been behaving badly.
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They looked embarrassed that the leader of an allied nation was so hilariously wrong about their legal obligations.
 
Deuce said:
They looked embarrassed that the leader of an allied nation was so hilariously wrong about their legal obligations.
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Oh? How was he wrong?

Heck, they all signed the agreement...and some of them won't abide by it. They should.
 
EU countries already spend over three times more than their closest potential enemy Russia and have promised to increase their spending further. That at the same time Donald Trump is very friendly towards Russia. So, his criticize against NATO is just a merger between populism and benefiting the economic elite.

That to his supporters Trump looks tough if he demands that NATO will spend more on their military while at same time it can lead to more profit for the military industrial complex.
While then Trump must make a choice between the economic elite and his supporters, he will choose to benefit the economical elite.

Like for example how very polite and friendly he was during his visit to Saudi Arabia. Because the profit the economic elite can make from trade with Saudi Arabia is much more important than the fact that Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most brutal and fundamentalist countries in the world. Or the fact that Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest sponsors of global fundamentalist and terrorism. So, during that visit you had “nice” Donald.

This is something media here in Sweden have picked up. That then Donald Trump meet dictators like the king of Saudi Arabia he is very nice and friendly. While he is the opposite then he meet the democratic leaders in Europe.
 
Mycroft said:
Trump looked like the adult dressing down a group of teenagers. Among the kids, you had the ones who looked downright uncomfortable...the joker who can't, or won't, take anything seriously...the stony-faced kids who were thinking how they can get back at Dad.

However, this group of kids deserved to be lectured. They have been behaving badly.
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I would have a hard time taking a man who claimed he "knew more than the generals" about ISIS and disparaged POWs( "I like people who weren't captured") seriously on military matters as well.

Not to mention his supporters, who, as shown in your post, seem to think Trump is some sort of mature father figure.
 
Tigerace117 said:
I would have a hard time taking a man who claimed he "knew more than the generals" about ISIS and disparaged POWs( "I like people who weren't captured") seriously on military matters as well.

Not to mention his supporters, who, as shown in your post, seem to think Trump is some sort of mature father figure.
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LOL!!

And yet, that group of kids got the message.

Look, you are getting too caught up in the spin and rhetoric. Look at his actions...and their results. THAT is what'll determine if Trump is worth taking seriously.

For example...Trump has taken heat about leaking classified info to Dutarte. The fact is, he didn't. The fact is, he was actually sending a message to both China and NK. Furthermore, the media...in their zeal to make Trump look bad...ended up HELPING him get that message out.

You are limiting yourself if all you focus on is the spin, rhetoric, lies and innuendo...not to mention the fake news...from the Mainstream Media.
 
It's looking more and more like 45 hasn't met a Sergey he didn't like.
 
Mycroft said:
Oh? How was he wrong?

Heck, they all signed the agreement...and some of them won't abide by it. They should.
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Trump believes the 2% spending target is a legal obligation. It's not.
 
Cardinal said:
Trump scolds NATO allies over defense spending - CNNPolitics.com

You can watch Trump's speech along with the reactions of the leaders of NATO here.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/867801005018230786

When taking into consideration Trump's repeated hostilities with our closest allies, his repeated threats not to come to the defense of NATO, his comfort and close relationship with the Russian ambassadors and his willingness to share sensitive classified information with them, passing on fake news stories created by Russians (active measures), numerous people on his campaign and administration who have worked with Russian officials and lied about it, knowingly appointing a foreign agent as his National Security Adviser, and the Russians planning on how to influence Trump through his advisors, and finally the White House wavering on sanctions against Russia, it's my official position that Trump is an agent for Russia.
Click to expand...




Your rant has nothing to do with your subject matter. It is pitiful when you cannot stay on your own topic.


Now, as to the topic, Trump is right. Twenty three of the twenty eight NATO countries do not pay their 2% GDP obligation. Perhaps it is time to disband NATO. That is a burden the American taxpayer can do without. It costs us much money and our young soldiers die defending them.
 
Risky Thicket said:
Trump's behavior in Brussels is embarrassing for the United States. He was/is the quintessential ugly American. Trump was at times rude, arrogant and certainly undiplomatic. The video clip of him grabbing Prime Minister Markovic, pushing him aside followed by his thuggish dick waving demeanor has been aired again and again here in Mexico. I can only imagine how it is being received in the rest of the world. Trump kissed Saudi ass and treated our closest allies with something bordering distain.
Click to expand...




Yes, and Obama sent their Churchill but back to them and you did not whine down in Mexico!
 
Mycroft said:
LOL!!

And yet, that group of kids got the message.

Look, you are getting too caught up in the spin and rhetoric. Look at his actions...and their results. THAT is what'll determine if Trump is worth taking seriously.

For example...Trump has taken heat about leaking classified info to Dutarte. The fact is, he didn't. The fact is, he was actually sending a message to both China and NK. Furthermore, the media...in their zeal to make Trump look bad...ended up HELPING him get that message out.

You are limiting yourself if all you focus on is the spin, rhetoric, lies and innuendo...not to mention the fake news...from the Mainstream Media.
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Trump supporters got the message? Huh. I guess you do have to be telepathic to understand his words. After all, none of the European leaders is really young enough to be consider a "kid", so......

How does giving China and North Korea the location of our submarines send them a message? The whole point of submarines is that nobody is supposed to know where they are.

Trump is supposed to be a straight talker, so I'm just taking him at his own words.....and the results are not encouraging so far.
 
Deuce said:
Trump believes the 2% spending target is a legal obligation. It's not.
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That must be some of that "liberal logic".

If I'm part of a group and I agree to provide a certain percentage of my wealth to support that group, I am bound by my agreement. Now...just because there isn't some "law" that says I'll get into "legal" trouble for not paying, I'm not excused for not meeting my obligation. On the other hand, if there is another member of my group who IS paying their agreed upon share...and more...that member is quite justified in taking the other non-paying members to task.

Instead of dwelling on non-existent "legal" issues, those non-paying members should consider what'll happen if that paying member decides to leave the group.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Trump supporters got the message? Huh. I guess you do have to be telepathic to understand his words.
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Huh?? I said nothing about "Trump supporters". Did you misunderstand my words?

After all, none of the European leaders is really young enough to be consider a "kid", so......
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Doesn't matter how "old" they are. Their actions are child-like.

How does giving China and North Korea the location of our submarines send them a message? The whole point of submarines is that nobody is supposed to know where they are.
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He didn't give anyone the location. You don't really understand how our submarine force works, do you? You should read this interview and get educated:

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...-duterte-leak-idiots-dont-know-anything-subs/

Trump is supposed to be a straight talker, so I'm just taking him at his own words.....and the results are not encouraging so far.
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Actually, you are not "just taking him at his own words". You are taking him at the spin that the Mainstream Media feeds you...and you are ignoring the reality of his words.

For example, do you believe Trump said, "“Germans are very bad, very bad.”? You probably do because Der Spiegel, Germany's Mainstream Media, reported it...and our own Mainstream Media echoed their report. The problem is, though, that's not what he said...at all. They outright spun his words into something totally different. But you...taking Trump "at his own words"...are only taking him at the Mainstream Media's words.

In any case, considering how you seem unable to understand MY clear and concise posts, it probably won't do you any good taking anyone "at their own words".
 
Mycroft said:
That must be some of that "liberal logic".
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It's a fact. Donald Trump thought it was a legal obligation, you're arguing about a moral obligation.

Donald Trump may very well decide to weaken NATO. It is, after all, what Putin would want.
 
RetiredUSN said:
Do you whine about American servicemen and service women who are often over deployed because the Euro's expect us to patrol the Mediterranean as per agreement after the second world war?

Why don't the Euro's take control of patrolling the Med?

Why didn't the Euro's go into Libya when their petroleum supply was threatened, instead of America?

Why didn't Europe handle the Egyptian crisis?

Why doesn't Europe keep Turkey in line?

Why did Europe let Crimea go with nothing more than a extra strong liberal condemnation?

If any part of the world is operating in fear of Putin's & Muslim influence, it's Europe.
Click to expand...

Europe has its own defense strategy. It should not be expected to foot the bill for American foreign policy or military or geopolitical strategy or to walk behind America's knee-jerk action in the world with a broom. The United States does what it does in the world to advance its own interests and Europe is not on the hook to pay for it. When you crown yourself the leader of the free world you accept responsibility for what that means financially.
 
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