Cruz: Trump 'wrong' on NATO

The Hill ^ | 3/22/16 | Jessie Byrnes

[DeathBeforeDishonor1]

is slamming Republican presidential rival Donald Trump's call to rethink U.S. involvement in NATO in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels.

"It is striking that the day after Donald Trump called for America weakening NATO, withdrawing from NATO, we see Brussels, where NATO is headquartered, the subject of a radical Islamic terrorist attack," Cruz told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.

"Donald Trump is wrong that America should withdraw from the world and abandon our allies," Cruz added. He claimed Trump's proposals to draw back from Europe would hand both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria "a major victory." Trump, in an interview Monday with The Washington Post editorial board, questioned the need for NATO, which has been a central component of Western security efforts since the Cold War.

"We certainly can’t afford to do this anymore," Trump said.

"NATO is costing us a fortune, and yes, we’re protecting Europe with NATO, but we’re spending a lot of money," later added.

Trump doubled down on his proposal to rethink support for NATO during an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer.

[martinidon]

It’s in Americas interest that Europe pay their fair share to be strong and secure. But if they are going to let Muslims flood their country it is not our responsibility to pay for their security!

[Cyman]

As always when you make Trump talk specifics and not in his preferred platitudes, he always screws the pooch

[Lurker]

“Its in Americas interest to have a strong and secure Europe.”

Indeed it is. It’s time they stepped up to pay for it.

If they can afford millions of refugees, they can afford to pay for their own defense.

L

[kabar]

So, you are for abandoning our friends?

Our friends are not pulling their weight. They are spending less and less of their GDP on defense in order to keep their welfare states going. They have chosen butter over guns. Why should the US taxpayer bear these costs?

The condition of military in almost all the other NATO countries is deplorable. The gap between US capabilities and the Europeans is getting wider and wider because they have not invested the money to keep up with the technology. This threatens interoperability between our forces and their's. It weakens NATO.

It is time to have a come to Jesus meeting with our NATO allies and tell them it is time to sh#t or get off the pot. Trump is laying down a marker. The US can no longer fiscally support the defense umbrella for Europe alone. It is bankrupting us.

[lodi90]

Bad timing on Trump’s part. The lame ad hominem attacks on Cruz are right on schedule because he has a point.

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No, what’s lame in Cruz climbing atop dead bodies to smear Trump. What’s even lamer is deluded Cruzies not seeing it. And Trumpers are the cultists? It’s clear now there is no low Cruz and his supporters will not stoop to.

[showme_the_Glory]

Obviously Linseed Grammy is now controlling Ted. Conservative to GOPe to terrorist sympathizer, lickety split.

[georgiarat]

Withdrawing from NATO would be REALLY stupid!

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No, continuing to funds Eurpoean security with our money while they attack the United States verbally and through bad policies is Really stupid.

[pax_et_bonum]

“I’m not seeing how you can come to that conclusion. How is Cruz blaming Trump for the terrorist attacks in Belgium, specifically?”

If you can’t or won’t see the innuendo then there’s no sense in explaining it.

My children learned early on not to try this type of subterfuge with me. I detest it.

[navymom1]

I was at one time hoping for a Trump CRuz ticket. Talk about red face.

[wiseprince]

See how ridiculous it is to make up the meaning of someones words. It’s the same thing Cruz keeps doing. Trump never said we should abandon our allies he said they have to pay their fair share and the freebies are over. Cruz argues with straw-men and anyone who listens to Trump knows that

[fooman]

Trump does the smearing. It seems to be his only play book.

Rand Paul, Scott Walker , Nato, Carson, Carly, Marco and on and on.

[chuckee]

Sorry, Ted, I agree with many of your positions but this one you are dead wrong and Trump is right in that the EU has given the US all the heavy lifting when it comes to Nato. Additionally we fund 74% of NATO expense while they shoulder only 26% while the EU has a bigger GDP than the US and 25% more population.

[wiseprince]

So The U.S should pay for NATO and Europe shouldn’t contribute? Is that your position?

[Pelham]

“So, you are for abandoning our friends?”

NATO was established in 1949 so that we could protect war ravaged western Europe from being overrun by an expansionist Soviet Union.

Western Europe ceased being war ravaged around 50 years ago.

The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact collapsed in 1989.

How exactly is winding down a pact based on conditions that no longer exist “abandoning our friends”?

Islamic terrorism is the result of Europe bringing millions of Muslims into its borders. NATO didn’t prevent that and can’t cure it. It’s up to Europe to boot them out.

[CapitalistCrusader]

As always when you make Trump talk specifics and not in his preferred platitudes, he always screws the pooch

What?

What did Trump say that screwed the pooch?

[chris37]

Shut up, Ted, you twatwaffle.

[TheStickman]

IMO, Cruz needs to learn the value of an unspoken thought. Never saw a candidate so determined to tear someone down before despite the obvious damage it is doing to their own campaign.

[lodi90]

What’s would be funny if not for this tragedy is that Trump has been VERY consistent on our allies not paying their fair share. Now pathetically Ted Cruz is trying to make news out of something that just isn’t news. The bottom line is it isn’t going to work. Lyin Ted is repelling as many voters as he is attracting. And the polls bear that fact out.

[wiseprince]

Another fine point! There are so many holes in Cruz’s arguments it’s hard to know which ones to focus on

[pleasenotcalifornia]

We need to stay in NATO to protect Turkey and our good friend Erdagon. Obama and Erdogan BFF.