Oh, that's right. Donald Trump says this. Somebody please speak sense to him quick, before there are larger diplomatic wounds, and misunderstandings incurred by our regional ALLIES while our enemies are being emboldened by such careless, sophomoric drivel into possible testing provocations. (And I thought that Mental Lilliputian Barack Obama was insulting to regional pro-American ••Allies•• -- and wrote about it since 2008 repeatedly on FR.)
he keeps trying to get me to lose my vote on the 19th in NY
The Guardian - hater of any interference of American power (although they love our money) - suddenly complaining about the threat of American retreat? Boo-hoo! Take it up with Clark County, you silly Brits!
Oh wouldn’t it be wonderful if he was a polished, slippery, smooth talker like all the other politians who we all have come to like so well.
Yes, it’s just better that these matters aren’t discussed in public, right?
After all, what the hell does the public know anyhow?
Well—the American public, at least, from your point of view.
Honestly, I agree with him. Either belly up and pay for your own damn protection, or shut up.
Maybe that’s Donald’s way of saying America won’t necessarily be going to war with Japan vs North Korea, right away, or full throttle. You are right, though, it was a capricious, dangerously vague remark to make. I still suspect Donald has tired of the campaign and wants to get off the (not so) Merry go round, but doesn’t know how to do it w/o looking like a quitter. He seems to manufacture a steady amount of stumbling blocks for himself. I hope I’m wrong.
He is getting weirder and weirder.
This was just a bizarre thing to say.
Well, grab a last bite of sushi, pack your bags and come home. Konbanwa!
These two numbers are not even counting US Forces Japan (USFJ) and US Forces Korea (USFK) totaling in the tens of thousands.
The message Trump is sending is that South Korea and Japan should not automatically assume that we’re going to come running to their defense.
Trump indicated earlier this week that he wouldn’t have a problem with South Korea or Japan obtaining their own nuclear capability (we can assume Japan is within a week or two of assembling a small nuclear arsenal, South Korea? Not sure).
Considering that North Korea has threatened their major neighbor in the area (Communist China) with a ‘nuclear storm’, Kim Jong Fat Boy is going to probably be taken out by Beijing first, before he even gets to the point of initiating hostilities with Seoul or Tokyo.
The bottom line message from Trump to the more reasonable nations in that region?
Simple: “take out your own garbage”.
Guess we have to go listen to his speech to see what he really said.
Well I would point out that Trump isn’t President yet, not even the Republican nominee.
That said, Japan has been enjoying a free ride on the American Defense budget for several decades now. But America was a lot richer then.
That clearly cannot continue, nor should it. Japan is a rich, industrial country that can start fighting for itself - they didn’t seem to have any problem in WWII.
Credit to Trump for pointing out the unspoken elephant in the room.
Ok, so you know the RNC is making it so neither Cruz nor Trump can win a contested convention? And they are maneuvering to change the Rules to allow somebody like Paul Ryan to get the nomination? So why then are Cruz people still trying to force a brokered convention? Is the Trump hatred so much that America must be destroyed with A democrat win in 2017 possibly up and down the ladder since its going to anger so many good people when their votes are stolen from BOTH our camps?
I agree with Trump's argument that we as a nation have been taken advantage of with regard to peace keeping, but if we want to continue to have the only superpower arsenal in the world, we can't completely walk away either.
Trump knows what would happen to North Korea. He’s mocking them.
to shake things up is not a bad thing in a complacent world
“According to Trump: “Frankly, the case could be made to let [Japan] protect themselves against North Korea, they’d probably wipe them out pretty quick.”
That’s probably true, although “pretty quick” might be questionable.
If they weren’t bothered by the current imbecile in chief and all the embarrassment that entails, they’ll be fine with Trump.
I ‘m telling you folks, the guy is waaaaaaaay under qualified to be commander in chief of the last existing superpower left in the world.