Share
Commentary

Trump Goes NY Tough Guy on NATO Freeloaders: 10 Years Won't Cut It, Pay up Now!

Share

As a dressing-down goes, this was one for the books.

In an almost unheard-of public confrontation between a sitting United States president and a NATO secretary general, President Donald Trump kicked off his European tour on Wednesday by seriously questioning the commitment of European countries to the alliance.

And he didn’t sound like the Russian puppet liberals that fantasize about — not at all.

In a harsh, breakfast-meeting exchange with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg – a former Norwegian prime minister – Trump sounded every inch the tough New York businessman who spent decades in real estate before going into politics.

Check out the video here.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

“You know, we’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting everybody, and we’re paying a lot of money to protect,” Trump said. “Now, this has been going on for decades, this has been brought up by other presidents.

“But other presidents never did anything about it because I don’t think they understood it, or they just didn’t want to get involved. But I have to bring it up, because I think it’s very unfair to our country. I think it’s very unfair to our taxpayers.

“And I think these countries have to step it up. Not over a 10-year period. They have to step it up immediately.”

Is Trump right to be playing hardball with other NATO countries?

It’s a good bet the Europeans didn’t care for his tone at all, but American citizens shouldn’t have to be Trump supporters to appreciate the truth of what the president was saying:

The post-World War II era — where the United States played the protective father figure to European countries who preferred to spend their money on social programs over military protection — is over.

Trump was particularly harsh on a deal between Germany and Russia to almost double the amount of natural gas the U.S. ally is buying from Vladimir Putin’s country.

“So, we’re supposed to protect you against Russia, but they’re paying billions of dollars to Russia. And I think that’s very inappropriate,” he told Stoltenberg

“Ultimately, Germany will have almost 70 percent of their country controlled by Russia (through) natural gas… Germany is totally controlled by Russia, because they’re getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline. And you tell me if that’s appropriate, because I think it’s not.”

Related:
Jon Stewart Has Anti-Trump Meltdown After Getting Caught Overvaluing His House by 829%

Democrat delusions about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into “Russia collusion” notwithstanding, those are not the words of a man in thrall to the Kremlin.

Americans – again, even Americans who aren’t Trump supporters – should be proud that a president is brutally raising the question about the reliance of European countries on American arms, while feeling free to act superior to the United States in international affairs.

But it’s important to note that Trump’s not the only one criticizing Germany’s pipeline deal with Russia. It has some pretty harsh critics in Europe, too.

An article in the left-wing U.K. Guardian, a publication that’s no friend of the Trump administration, summed up the criticisms of the project, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in particular:

“For many, her refusal to see the geopolitical implications of making Europe so dependent on Russian energy shows the reach that Gazprom (the Russian state-owned energy company) … has into Germany,” the Guardian reported. “The presence of the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder on its board and his friendship with Putin seems only to symbolise the triumph of Russian interests.”

So, Trump is cracking down on NATO “allies” to increase their spending in the united front against a potential military conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, Merkel, the liberal hero, is the one snuggling up to Moscow, not Donald Trump?

That’s not the liberal fantasy at all.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , ,
Share
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He's been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He's been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn't need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American




Conversation