Early on in his Presidency it was clear Trump was Putin’s Puppet. He was openly hostile to NATO and wanted the U.S. out of it. He was also openly disdainful of Europe in general with the sometimes exception of England. I say England instead of the U.K. on purpose because of Trump’s being such a fan of Churchill and the late Queen Elizabeth. Anyway, Putin had a dream of no more NATO and therefore a Europe under control of a re-made Soviet Union and he by god expected Trump to help make it happen. We knew all that in 2016 and saw it in relations with NATO and the European Union. The thing is, even in 2020 Trump was blunt with European leaders that as far as he was concerned they were on their own if attacked, and not to count on the U.S. because we wouldn’t be coming to help.
Reuters is one of multiple outlets have reported on a meeting that took place at the annual 2020 Davos Conference in January that year. It was revealed this week that during a private meeting with European leaders Trump told them that if they were attacked the United States was never coming to help them:
At a panel discussion in Brussels on Tuesday Thierry Breton, a French commissioner who is responsible for the European Union’s internal market recounted the meeting, saying Trump made the remarks to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020:
“You need to understand that if Europe is under attack, we will never come to help you and to support you,” Breton quoted Trump as saying during the Davos meeting.
“By the way, NATO is dead, and we will leave, we will quit NATO,” Trump also said, according to Breton, speaking at an event hosted by the Renew Europe political party at the European Parliament.
“And by the way, you owe me $400 billion, because you didn’t pay, you Germans, what you had to pay for defense,” Breton quoted Trump as saying.
When asked to comment von der Leyen’s on whether her recollection of Trump’s remarks matched those of Breton, a spokesperson for the European Commission president declined saying on principle “the President NEVER discloses what her interlocutors have told her during closed door meetings. So we are not going to comment either way.” Another person present, Phil Hogan from Ireland who was European Trade Commissioner didn’t immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. However, while news of this is only breaking now it seems the Biden administration is well aware of what took place and has more than just Breton’s word to go on. The Biden administration was quick to sharply criticize Trump’s comments, and to reassure Europe and the world where the U.S. stands:
A spokesperson for Biden’s campaign said: “The idea that he would abandon our allies if he doesn’t get his way underscores what we already know to be true about Donald Trump: The only person he cares about is himself.”
I’m in my mid sixties and until recent years, by which I mean Trump’s hostile occupation of our WH could never imagine the time would come when Europe or the rest of the world would have any reason to question whether the U.S. would show up and forcefully if needed. It was a given, as certain as the sun coming up in the east each morning. Now, Europe and the rest of the world including our enemies (who are enemies of freedom anywhere) have to factor in an awful truth. Due to the CANCER of Trump/MAGA which won’t magically disappear if Trump were to choke to death on a hunk of “hamberder” before this day is over that every four years they have to wonder if the U.S. will stand up for right. For freedom. At least that’s going to be the case for a long while and perhaps a generation or even more.
Trump is being purposely vague (as the linked article notes) about his foreign policy ambitions if he makes it back into the WH. I don’t think there’s any doubt about exactly what he intends to do. It’s both scary and tragic we even have to talk about such things. The fact that we do means we have to do a helluva lot more than talk. We have to ACT. To register and turn out voters and in numbers that will make the record voter engagement in 2020 look apathetic. We have send a strong and demoralizing butt-whipping to Trump and MAGA and prove to the world, both allies and enemies that the United States is forcing MAGA back under their slimy rocks.
Trump openly disliked ALL Western leaders because he knew they were smarter and more competent than he’d ever be, and he knew they knew it too. His favourite leaders were and are the scummy ones who’ll flatter him that he’s in their bully club, that he’s a valued member of their criminal gang. Remember when the UN general assembly laughed at him? Bet your last dollar that Trump remembers it, just as he remembers Obama roasting him (lightly) at the press dinner. The lizard brain savors the revenge he’ll wreak next time around.
Trump: Hey those countries didn’t help me steal the election…I only like countries that help me steal elections.
The real irony in this is that only one member of NATO has invoked Article 5 of the NATO Pact.
The United States of America.
Although the mutual self-defense clause was never invoked during the Cold War by either side, the USA invoked the clause immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, calling the other members of NATO to it’s assistance. So, as a result, the USA involved NATO in it’s operation in Afghanistan on that basis – and of course when Trump withdrew the US, (after negotiating with The Taliban, not the Afghan government, by the way), no-one told the NATO allies leaving them with a rushed, disorganized, chaotic withdrawal even worse than the American one. A fact that no doubt pleased Putin’s puppet, the toddler in chief.
And a fact that Biden had to attempt to nullify when he came in -fairly successfully by most accounts. Though plans to cope with USA withdrawal are now definitely not on ice, something corporate supporters of Republicans might like to look at when they look at profits on joint ventures and sales in arms and weapons to other NATO members. Looking at you, Boeing, General Dynamics, and Lockheed.
Trump would happily have let Hitler have all of Europe in WW II. It is hard to tell.which monster he likes better, Glad or Adolph. And neither would be satisfied with just Europe. The U.S. and Canada would be ripe for the takeover because the U.S. at least had German loving members of the Bundts.