Watch other NATO leaders grimace as Trump claims they owe money

Surely it should say Caledonia not Britannia.

12 Likes

I think this is the main idea. Everyone shoud BUY MORE AMERICAN WEAPONS, and one way to do that is for every other country to spend more on defense spending. This isn’t about anythign other than the further enrichment of the American defense industry (well, maybe a little trying to look tough to the home viewers).

13 Likes

NATO is hardly perfect, but it does one thing very well, and that is curb any Russian adventurism and divide-and-dominate tactics in Europe.

It’s emblematic of Trump that he’s doing his best to disrupt NATO, which is the greatest American geopolitical success of the 20th century, and a hugely beneficial alliance that enables US to project force much further much cheaper than it would be otherwise. Up until the Orange One, it would have been inconceivable that any American president would fuck up NATO, let alone think that was a good idea.

7 Likes

It’s pretty obvious why the 2% goal was set: because the U.S. military-industrial complex wants more business. If the member states were already at 2%, it would have been 2.5% or 3%. We’re already way above that simply because the U.S. military-industrial complex wants more business. Ike was 100% right and we still don’t listen to him.

15 Likes

They are grimacing because they have a hard time not laughing that dope off the stage. Here he is, a shitty con man that has conned himself into the White House, trying to tell real world leaders how the world works. Its ridiculous.

8 Likes

And out of those five, how many can deploy a functional brigade or more at any speed? How many can inter-operate with other NATO members?

That really is the core of the matter. And as much as I hate to say it, because of that POTUS Trump is not in the wrong here and unfortunately it seems he does need to speak clearly (or even rudely) to these European leaders who are essentially getting a free ride.

Given that money is in fact spent on military budgets, it should be spent efficiently with the least possible waste.

As you say and all the more reason to spend wisely.

Oh do go on!

Crimea and other parts of the Ukraine are on hold on line 2, will you take the call? Also you’ve had Estonia on line 1 holding for a while now.

Sure but also they probably never envisioned a coast to coast (plus Alaska & Hawaii) nation either.

No shortage of European defense contractors

Some even in the top 20 worldwide

https://www.artillerymarketing.com/fs/defense-news-top-100-global-companies-2015

The only reason trumpster fire is trying to get NATO members to pony up the billion$ is because he has a plan to siphon that money away. :stuck_out_tongue:

3 Likes

If you are in a club and you think the other members aren’t pulling their weight, then leave and get your own club. No point whinging about it.

1 Like

the grimace contingent

Like Angie Merkel?
Just Ramstein Air Base supports more than 100 geographically separated units (over 50,000 overseas deployed personnel) and is used to coordinate and execute most of the United States global drone program.
Withdrawing all American military personnel from just this one base, the US wouldn’t be much of a Superpower anymore.
Add closing Diego Garcia. Who needs CENTCOM anyhow? Or the United States Marine Pre-positioning Squadron Two?
The US wouldn’t even be a global Power, would have less capability in and control over the middle east than Russia does.
Those are just two of the bases
of just two grimacing faces.

It appears to be obvious. Supporting Mr. Gentleman-President Trump one hundred percent in anything makes one an enemy of the US of America.
Now that’s cool with me. Everybody has enemies.
But who would you rather want to see in the top global aggressor position but the worlds most stable ‘democracy’?

4 Likes

I think that this situation is more like you crank up up the A/C the entire year round and then get shirty with your roomies for not “paying their share”; even when they have been complaining about the heat, and only stay at your place because that shift Russian dude keeps looking at their stuff.

I’m guessing that the US Military/Industrial Complex sets the spending targets.

3 Likes

Nero Wolfe, of the orchids and bright yellow pajamas, is from Montenegro, though he refuses to speak much of it.

5 Likes

If I am being disdainful, I might say “I couldn’t care less.”

If I am being sarcastic and dismissive, I probably would say, “I could care less,” shrug,and walk away.

3 Likes

Keep spending ungodly amounts on your military though, after all it’s a pillar of your economy. One could wonder how a nation with almost a whole continent to itself and no military threats whatsoever in its neighbourhood could need such an overblown military for its “security”.

10 Likes

It’s sarcasm.

If the OP had written that the other NATO leaders “look like they’re really cut up by what Orange Julius has to say”, would you have objected on the grounds that they clearly didn’t?

1 Like

NATO spending is around 50% of world expenditure?

Right after that gif ends the woman on the right (President Grybauskaite?) extends her hand, but Trump makes some angry pointing gesture and turns away. This video is the best look I have seen of Trump’s personal character. He’s not exactly a diplomat, is he?

Oh yes?

2 Likes

I’m guessing then that you are not one of those who think that the USA could cut its defense budget.

Hey!

We may be America’s hat, but we have more real estate than America up here!

Unless you’re talking population, in which case, fair point.

9 Likes