Cont: President Trump: Part 3

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The look on Merkel's face when he claimed they had something in common was hilarious. Like when you see a kid eating worms in the playground.
 
Argumemnon said:
What has gender to do with it, unless you think Trump thought this specifically because she's a woman?
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That would sound likely - there is plenty of evidence that Trump is a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to other attitudes to women, so I'd be surprised if he can also *feel* that a woman is as competent as a man - especially someone with as fine an intellect as him.
 
Who is really running the country now, setting policy, deciding what to go after, what to leave alone. Is it Trump or Steve Bannon?
 
Captain_Swoop said:
Germany owes the US vast sums of money?

Is he going to send a bill?

Will this apply to all members?
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Actually this might be a good solution for everyone. The US gets additional defense funding, which benefits all the NATO members, and the other members don't have to maintain a larger military of their own, which many of them seem to find distasteful.
 
President Trump's Saturday tweet accusing Germany of owing the United States “vast sums of money” for NATO might have been an attempt to put pressure on the European ally. But Berlin has rejected his claim while also questioning his understanding of NATO finances.

On Sunday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen called the criticism “inaccurate,” without mentioning the president's name.

“NATO does not have a debt account,” von der Leyen said, according to her ministry. In reality, NATO has only a small logistical budget, which relies on funding by all member states. The vast majority of NATO members' total resources are managed domestically.

The criticism echoed that of other experts, including former U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. “Trump’s comments misrepresent the way NATO functions,” Daalder told The Washington Post on Saturday. “The president keeps saying that we need to be paid by the Europeans for the fact that we have troops in Europe or provide defense there. But that’s not how it works.”

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The rather unusual rebuke of Trump by a German defense minister indicates growing concerns in Berlin over transatlantic relations. The percentage of Germans who view the United States as a trustworthy ally has dropped from 59 percent in November to 22 percent in February. In recent months, Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's outspoken vice chancellor and foreign minister, has even called Trump a “threat.”
This is a shift in a nation that has long considered itself one of the United States' closest allies, although at times an uncomfortable one. Germany's foreign policy is still shaped by memories of World War II, and foreign military operations are deeply unpopular with German voters. Instead of boosting its defense spending, Germany has historically invested more in development aid and deepened its economic ties with other nations.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-trump-says-it-doesnt-owe-u-s-money-for-nato/

Who thought they would be alive to see America become a threat to the free world.
 
Cl1mh4224rd said:
Because following links is hard, and clicking on one link and letting the embedded video play is super hard.
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I'd just as soon know the gist of what I'm clicking, if you don't mind.

When I'm on my phone, I can't tell that a link is to twitter and I waste time following it. I'm interested in legitimate journalism, not so much in 140 character tweets. And I rarely want to watch a video.

Thanks much for your consideration.
 
theprestige said:
Actually this might be a good solution for everyone. The US gets additional defense funding, which benefits all the NATO members, and the other members don't have to maintain a larger military of their own, which many of them seem to find distasteful.
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Not a good solution for them at all if they don't have the utmost trust in the US looking out for their interests as well.

And they shouldn't with Trump as CiC. At any given time he might decide they 'didn't pay enough', were 'nasty people', have too many refugees, or the people on the other side of our allies are personally better for him. It would be crazy to trust such a situation.
 
wareyin said:
One of your quotes was complaining about half of Trump's voters, the other was complaining about Trump himself. Neither supports your claim here.
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The first quote extends Hillary's remarks to disparage all of Trump's supporters. The second quote extends the first.

I think it's disingenuous to claim that Hillary's remarks should be read narrowly, or that she intended a narrow interpretation when she made them.
 
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tyr_13 said:
Not a good solution for them at all if they don't have the utmost trust in the US looking out for their interests as well.

And they shouldn't with Trump as CiC. At any given time he might decide they 'didn't pay enough', were 'nasty people', have too many refugees, or the people on the other side of our allies are personally better for him. It would be crazy to trust such a situation.
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If they don't trust their allies, then why maintain the alliance? If the other NATO members don't want to uphold their obligations, and don't trust the US to take over the treaty responsibilities they've abandoned, then maybe Trump was right to suggest disbanding the damn thing.
 
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