Remarks by President Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Bilateral Breakfast

https://www.whitehouse.gov ^ | July 11, 2018 | White House

[JayGalt]

These remarks are remarkably straightforward. Again the Emporor's lack of clothes is revealed against all custom and the prevailing fictions of the World Order. Very uplifting, we have a lion fighting for America, at home & abroad.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Good morning, everybody. Good morning to the media — the legitimate media and the fake-news media. Good morning to them. A lot of good people here. Surprising.

Q Mr. President, which countries did you want to spend more on NATO in particular?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Just look at the chart. Take a look at the chart. It’s public. And many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they’re delinquent, as far as I’m concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them.

So if you go back 10 or 20 years, you’ll just add it all up. It’s massive amounts of money is owed. The United States has paid and stepped up like nobody. This has gone on for decades, by the way. This has gone on for many Presidents. But no other President brought it up like I bring it up.

So something has to be done, and the Secretary General has been working on it very hard. This year, since our last meeting, commitments have been made for over $40 billion more money spent by other countries. So that’s a step, but it’s a very small step. It sounds like a lot of money, and it is. But it’s a very small amount of money relative to what they owe and to what they should be paying. And it’s an unfair burden on the United States.

[Freee-dame]

Mr. President, why is it (inaudible) spend 10 times more than Russia for defense? Why is it necessary to spend 10 times more money on defense (inaudible)? You are a businessman.

What did the NATO Secretary General say so quietly or mumble that not even the White House web site knows what it was?

[JayGalt]

I thought those last two exchanges were questions from Press. (trying to embarrass POTUS, forlorn hope).

[Grampa Dave]

US ALPHA Team arrives at Nato meeting....!!!

This morning in Europe!

As the NATO summit began in Brussels, President Trump delivered a clear message to America’s allies: The transatlantic Alliance is too important not to invest in. “The United States is paying far too much, and other countries are not paying enough,” the President said this morning.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that goal. “We will continue to focus on defense spending, because as the President just said, NATO Allies have to invest more in defense, and that’s not exactly what they’re doing,” he said. President Trump thanked the Secretary General for working hard to make progress. “He understands the problem.”

While former President Obama also urged our NATO allies to share the defense burden, President Trump is the one getting results. Since President Trump took office, each member state has increased its defense spending: In 2017 alone, we saw an increase of more than 4.8 percent in defense spending among our NATO Allies. “But that’s not nearly enough,” President Trump makes clear.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600daily/

[JayGalt]

General Mattis is a worth his weight in gold. A National Asset. Great Picture.

[1Old Pro]

Yep, they are kicking butt and taking names, finally.

[A_perfect_lady]

Can you imagine if he suggests, “Look, you obviously feel comfortable enough to depend completely on Russia for energy, you don’t need us any more.”

And it would be completely true! I mean ... until he spelled it out, I never realized, but really, WHO ARE we supposedly defending them from?? Come on.

[Freee-dame]

Thanks.

[Grampa Dave]

General Mattis is a worth his weight in gold titanium. A National Asset.