Ahead of Summit, Trump Demands European Countries Pay More for NATO: It's 'Not Fair'

[DonViejo]

Source: Mediate



by Caleb Ecarma | 8:50 am, July 9th, 2018

Donald Trump began his Monday by demanding European countries pay more into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as he believes the US spends too much to support the group and receives little in return — a talking point the president has repeated many times since the early days of his campaign.

“The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other Country. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable. While these countries have been increasing their contributions since I took office, they must do much more. Germany is at 1%, the U.S. is at 4%, and NATO benefits,” tweeted Trump this morning. “Europe far more than it does the U.S. By some accounts, the U.S. is paying for 90% of NATO, with many countries nowhere close to their 2% commitment. On top of this the European Union has a Trade Surplus of $151 Million with the U.S., with big Trade Barriers on U.S. goods. NO!”

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Trump made the remarks in preparation for the Brussels NATO summit this week, where Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate. At this meeting, European countries are expected to push-back against the president’s anti-NATO remarks, while Trump will likely continue his fight for other nations to pay more into the group in person.

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Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/trump/ahead-of-summit-trump-demands-european-countries-pay-more-for-nato-this-is-not-fair/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Jesus, is Trump asking for arrearages as well?

Another thought: if Trump pulled the U.S. out of NATO, the military and its clients won't be terribly happy.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

22. If Trump pulls out of NATO, the military will alway have Space Force to sell their crap to.

Trump's vaunted "Space Command!" is nothing but a money pit. Fortunately, it can't be created by EO or tweet-- Congress must act.

Of course, with this current GOP Congress it's not a question of whether they will jump when IQ45 tells them too, but how high. And with space it's pretty high. Add the words "space flight certified" to an item labeled "military grade" and you've quintupled its cost.

[Blue_Tires]

35. Despite being corrected daily, Donnie still hasn't learned NATO funding doesn't work that way...

Donnie thinks he's some sort of credit debt collector and all the heads of state in Europe are going to scratch him out a check on the spot for the total past due amount plus interest...

Someone much smarter than myself once compared NATO funding to taking the whole office out to lunch and no matter what we order to eat individually, we all chip in for one big total bill from the waiter. Yeah, the employees on the lower pay scales don't have much but they put in what they can, and the team leader (USA) generally covers the difference. But it's crucial to remember that there isn't any "carryover" of shortfalls, so if Bill Schneiderman is a little short for today's lunch, you just gently remind him to bring a little more cash for tomorrow's 'lunch' because NOTHING is gained by making an example of a good team member like Bill in front of the whole restaurant by screaming out all the days he was short just because his finances are a little tight...

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Trump whines "Not FAIR!" about everything

You know what's not fair? His being where he is.

[Scarsdale]

21. Let's see his taxes

so we know how fair the US tax system is.

[Botany]

3. Can it be any more obvious the Trump is a Russian asset?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210845434

[atreides1]

4. By his own standard

Why isn't he asking for the same thing from Israel?

[Larrybanal]

6. israel is not in nato

and we give them huge amounts of military equipment as aide anyway. the only reason america spends so much is because we WANT the worlds largest army (several times over) so we can use it to push around the world...we are bullies

[RKP5637]

5. Trump's goal? Weaken NATO, the US and its allies to comply with Putin's demands of Trump. n/t

[braddy]

7. We are against asking NATO to increase their spending? Was Obama against it or asking same?

[TomVilmer]

13. The 2 percent rule is from Obama

President Barack Obama echoed President-elect Donald Trump, signaling to America’s NATO allies that if Greece can pay its fair share even during an economic crisis, so can the other.

Fun fact: Greece is not paying "its fair share" to solidify NATO. They are arming for a fight with Turkey.

Fun fact: A common reason for NAT0 has always been to keep Germany down. Forcing them to be a major military power might not be the best idea.

Fun fact: NATO's official purpose is to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered.

[braddy]

16. The 2 percent figure dates to the 2002 Prague summit, when it was established as a non-binding

target; it was reiterated in Riga in 2006.

[TomVilmer]

18. Right. It has been US policy for a long time.

This pressure on the other NATO members has been official policy for years. Different presidents has used different words. It was policy before Obama, and would have been the same under Hillary Clinton. As it is now with Trump, though his diplomatic skills are non existing.

In Denmark we are "happy" for Trump, since it is now possible to criticize stupid actions of the United States, which it was hard to do earlier. And now our government is openly doing that.

The world needs more and better diplomacy, mere peace building not done by armed soldiers, and more research in how to make and keep a more peaceful world. That 2 percent limit is doing nothing good - it is just burning dollars to pay respects to the Don.

[braddy]

19. I'm glad that NATO is increasing their spending, including Denmark.

[Cosmocat]

17. And, not for nothing, but keeping NATO intact and healthy

helps to keep us from having to roll over there to save the day ...

A fact that eludes no one other than the brain dead simpletons who support all fuckwittery smashed into their gray matter by right wing media ...

[TomVilmer]

20. Yes. Please stay home then.

The only time that Article 5, NATO's 'musketeer oath, has been invoked, was when Europe stood by to help the United States after 9-11. But Europe were told to stay put. And then countries were hand picked to do the dirty work in the coming stupid wars.

I am sure, that your nice words about "the brain dead simpletons who support all fuckwittery smashed into their gray matter by right wing media" in no way is directed against me or the European peace movement. We do think independently of right wing media and the governments.

I always argue for my country to stay in NATO, to demand that NATO lives up to the official purpose: to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered.

[Cosmocat]

24. Sorry, but you missed the point by a wide mile ...

Your last paragraph was the EXACT point I was making ...

[TomVilmer]

25. Happy that you agree disputes should be settled by peaceful means...

I would be even more happy if your answers then could be in that same spirit.

[Cosmocat]

26. You are the one who jumped me

The post you replied to was a dig at the morons who vote R - you are REALLY in the wrong place if that somehow is something you can't stomach.

[LanternWaste]

29. I think you're confusing 'fact' with 'my personal opinion.'

Again.

[LanternWaste]

30. Smooth one!

Even sounds sincere!

[keithbvadu2]

8. It's also not fair that Donald cheat his workers and vendors.

[still_one]

9. Trump wants to pull the U.S. out of NATO. He said this during the campaign. This would be a gift

for Putin, and as far as I am concerned is reason enough to impeach the SOB

[lark]

10. He is almost too stupid to know how to breathe.

He probably had a coach for this as a child because he'd throw such tantrums.

Really, though, I don't know if this is pure stupidity or just treason or both? I'd guess both, but don't know if orange assface even cares one iota for this country. I think this is just him following Putin's orders to destroy NATO and sit on the sidelines while they invade Ukraine and the Baltic countries, possibly even Scandanavian ones and he doesn't think one second beyond the promises and threats of Putin because those are about him?

Mueller, you are the only hope of the entire democratic world, not just this country. Please please subpoena drumpf soon and then file charges before the mid-terms. drumpf is installing another lackey soon and that might make it too late.

[FSogol]

11. What dumbass Trump and the equally dumbass Republicans don't get is that the reason we pay more

is because then we get to be in charge. Also because we can. If everyone else paid what we paid, they'd want to be in charge. Does the GOP want France and Germany to decide American policy along with Putin?

[former9thward]

31. Obama demanded 2% also.

NATO members have not lived up to their obligations for decades now. It has nothing to do with who is "in charge".

[heaven05]

12. this is astonishing stupidity

damn. NATO must be supported, our allies must be supported. Putin, bannon, gorka, is telling our fool of a potus how to navigate our destruction. We get attacked, we have no allies. The nuclear option will be our only option. Putin is a communist bent on the destruction of democracy. So far it looks like trump and the rest are helping Putin. The trumps, the rich and very rich will escape to Uraguay or some such country to a million-acre estate like the Bush's have and leave us all to deal with a destroyed nation.

Just one possible scenario unfolding with this traitorous fool as potus.

[Snellius]

14. Trump to Merkel: 'You Owe Me One Trillion Dollars'

“You owe me one trillion dollars,” Trump reportedly told her, according to an official briefed on the session who spoke with the Journal. Trump was reportedly referencing what he estimated as the gap between the amount of money Germany was supposed to spend on its own defense under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over the past 14 years, and what it’s actually paid for.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-merkel-owe-me-one-trillion-dollars

Interesting that Trump said you owe ME.

[turbinetree]

15. Malcom Nance's new book pegs this asshole for what he is................

[MGKrebs]

23. It's not a zero sum deal, with a budget that we have to fill if others don't.

There's nothing stopping us from paying less (or more) to NATO. If we pay less, NATO has less, but it has nothing to do with what other countries pay.

That's my understanding anyway.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. He can't get it through his orange pumpkin head that nobody *pays* NATO!

The deal with NATO is that each member country agrees to allocate 2% of its annual GDP toward its own defense. It's true that some countries haven't done that. But no money changes hands. Nobody is paying money to NATO. No country owes NATO any money, and the U.S. isn't being cheated in any way because it allocates more of its GDP to defense than some other NATO countries.

And, of course, this has nothing at all to do with trade deficits.

Dumb bastard.

[former9thward]

32. All 29 countries are obligated to pay for the NATO budget.

Based on a comparative percent of their Gross National Income. The NATO budget is about 2.5 billion Euros. This is separate from the 2% request for defense spending.

https://www.nato.int/cps/ie/natohq/topics_67655.htm

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. But that's not what he's complaining about.

[Hoyt]

28. Don't like the way he is going about it, but there is some merit in this IF savings result and

the money is used for things like healthcare should other countries pick up their military expenditures. Obviously, that will not be the case under trump, but we spend way to much on military. On the other hand, when we get smart and give up our absolute military superiority, it will mean we'll have to give up some power that lets us bully the world. Don't have much problem with that, although white wingers will.

[Snellius]

34. The limit of Trump's diplomatic skills is to bully and complain.

Trump complains but offers no diplomatic solutions to real problems

These problems with NATO have been around since its inception. But the problems can not be solved by just demanding that other countries pay their fair share. Many countries can't afford it. Many have strategic value that out ways their bill. Trump can not just call in the cops and force them to pay up. Without some incentive. Neither can the US simply drop out of NATO. The long-term costs as we found out in 2 world wars would be much greater in the long term. This quandary has been faced by every American president but in Trump's case all he does is complain without any understanding of the difficulty of the situation. The limit of his diplomatic skills is bully and complain.