Trump Is 'a Phenomenon That Foreign Countries Haven’t Seen'

Weekly Standard ^ | July 14, 2018 at 6:02 AM | Irwin Stelzer

[Zhang Fei]

Veni, vidi, vici. That’s what Trump would have tweeted en route to a weekend of golf at his courses in Scotland had he not forgotten his high school Latin. Traditional diplomat Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, says “The president treated the NATO allies almost with contempt.” Delete “almost” and Burns has it right. But the tone of Trump’s tweets and comments are best understood as the exasperation of this American president who wants to succeed where his predecessors failed—ending that part of the post-World War II settlement that disadvantages America. And if that means abandoning traditional diplomacy in favour of ill-concealed contempt, so be it.

Start with NATO. Other than the United States, only 3 of the 29 NATO members (Estonia, Greece, the United Kingdom) spend 2 percent of their GDP (or a bit more) on defense. Germany, a rich country, manages to find only 1.22 percent that it does not need for its generous welfare state. Worse still: Chancellor Angela Merkel is willing to raise that figure to only 1.5 percent, and that not until 2024. The 2 percent promised by all members for 2025 will be reached, in Germany’s case, only at a distant, unspecified date yet to be determined. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, drily remarked that 1.5 percent is not 2 percent, while Trump prefers “IMMEDIATELY” to a date that is in fact “never.” But Merkel’s coalition relies on the continued support of the Social Democrats (SDP), who are opposed to the 2 percent target, preferring as they do to use the money to extend the welfare state. Which leaves Trump in a bit of a spot should he ease the pressure on Germany to meet its commitment: how to explain to American taxpayers that it is in their interest to spend money to

[Sasparilla]

The swamp needing to be trained extends overseas.

[BenLurkin]

Only because the three previous presidents did not put the nation’s interests ahead of crime, globalism, and jihad.

[hal ogen]

Euro-parasites have infected the world for some time.

[poinq]

Trump is not a man so much as Trump is a choice of American people. Trump is a guy who noticed that the American people were looking for a champion. And he took on the job. He gets his power from us. He noticed that nobody else was actually willing to work for the voters. They were working for themselves or the party. But not the voters. So he embraced his fathers instincts and decided to be the breadwinner for the country.

To fight Trump is to fight the American voter. It does not matter if Trump is not perfect. He is our guy. And when the press attacks him, they are attacking us. When they say he is unfit to be president, what they are really saying is that we are unfit to choose the president.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Traditional diplomat Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, says “The president treated the NATO allies almost with contempt.” Delete “almost” and Burns has it right.

More good news about Trump's actions in office - our so-called NATO allies deserve nothing but contempt. The American taxpayer has been picking up the tab for their defense for decades, while these decadent nations have indulged in socialist nonsense and presumed to criticize and condescend to the nation that rescued them from ruin and Communist tyranny. The free ride is coming to an end, and the sophisticates of Western Europe are being devoured by the Islamists they've imported - couldn't happen to a nicer set of Eloi.

[Aria]

More than 3 presidents. Since and including FDR I can only think of Reagan who stood up for us...well..maybe Truman and JFK.

[Truthoverpower]

Weak ly stuttererd

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[Truthoverpower]

You neiled t
Trump is OUR MAN
THE PEOPLE. THE REAL PEOPLE OF AMERICA

[Chainmail]

He’s our President. Tell them to find their own Trump.

[Billthedrill]

Trump has a bargaining position open that might spell the end of NATO (and deservedly so) - the U.S. will contribute to that organization at the same percentage as its other members, no more, no less. This is complicated by the fact that the 2% pledge refers to overall defense spending, not just NATO spending. Nevertheless, any decrease in U.S. contribution is likely to be permanent even across future administrations, since the Dems as they are currently constituted have no desire to increase defense spending for any reason, preferring as the Europeans do to turn any money freed thereby to social programs. The Republicans aren't inclined to push any extra money out to freeloaders.

From the point of view of European negotiators, that's a problem. They're not going to be able simply to wait Trump out. The situation has reached the point where their best bet is to deal with Trump now, because his is the best deal they're likely to get. He's very good at this game.

[PCPOET7]

I think you are right...I also think we have to look forward past President Trump for the next vessel for our trust because nearly every politician that wants to run for president at the end of trumps two terms of presidency will try to claim that they are loyal to the thoughts and ideas trump brought forward and then work against it. just as Reagan had the Bush family convincing everyone that they were continuation of the Reagan revolution we will have the rest of the republican party line up so they can betray us the voters by claiming that they will continue with Trumps agenda.

[frank ballenger]

The old way: take some foreign aid from the USA, ask for more in humanitarian aid for something going on, then speak out against America and kick sand in the Americans’ faces, and finally send a bill for the sand to be paid by working taxpayers.

The new plan: Trump stands up to them and says America First and pay your fair share, suckers.

Americans of both parties quietly have said to each other: why are we paying all that money in foreign aid when we need that money right here in America?

The new guy Trump answered with “Let’s not do it.”

[plain talk]

Until recent decades fairness and obeying laws and commitments was not considered radical. Trump is what was considered mainstream not that many years ago. It just shows you how far left these bozos have traveled.

[tired&retired]

Move our bases from Germany to Poland and Hungary

[miss marmelstein]

How did this pass muster with the editor and publisher?!!

[max americana]

I disagree. The logical answer is if we dont get same GDP equivalent in defense spending. THEN we do not pay rent and can do anything we want in Germany as exchange. Meaning open up businesses without permission etc..

[max americana]

I disagree. The logical answer is if we dont get same GDP equivalent in defense spending. THEN we do not pay rent and can do anything we want in Germany as exchange. Meaning open up businesses without permission etc..

[Zhang Fei]

[How did this pass muster with the editor and publisher?!!]

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There’s this impression among the most loyal Trump fans that people who raise objections to some of Trump’s policies are never-Trumpers. That’s untrue, except for maybe some of the Trump detractors who are employed by the liberal media who have to perform like trained seals for their Red (as in Bolshevik) masters.

The Weekly Standard was anti-Trump before the election because it thought he was Arnold playing a conservative. It is now against some of Trump’s policies, where they clash with traditional conservative orthodoxy. The proposal for sentencing reform championed by Rand Paul and the Koch Brothers, and given a verbal nod by Trump, is one item that the Weekly Standard’s not too fond of.

The trade thing is something where everyone’s in bomb disposal mode, because no one knows how this will play out for the global economy, which in turn affects the US economy. 20% of Apple’s iPhone sales come from China. Because of scale economies, that means a ban on Chinese iPhone sales could mean a 30% drop in Apple’s profits. And 20% of GM’s gross profits come from Chinese sales. So it’s an open question whether the negative fallout from a complete cessation of trade with China will cause the GOP serious problems at the polls that aren’t offset by the initial patriotic rallying to the colors from a trade fight to the finish.