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I would counter with the comment that threatening to leave NATO was his strategy to get them to contribute more of their GDP to the military budget. https://br

I would counter with the comment that threatening to leave NATO was his strategy to get them to contribute more of their GDP to the military budget. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/trump-admin-sets-allied-defense-spending-targets-taiwan-deals-lead-way/amp/ https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/trump-admin-sets-allied-... I at the time thought that was a very wise strategy. Recent events have proven that true.

tootie 5y ago
Based on all his public statements and all the insider accounts from both career civil servants and even his own political appointees, Trump never bothered to understand the subtlety of NATO or really any other policy. Just read what Fiona Hill and John Bolton among others have to say. He wanted out of NATO. He respected the word of Putin, he hated Ukraine and it was 100% personal. He refused to press Putin on election interference when he met him in Finland, but withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine unless they did him a favor to help his own electoral fortunes. The 2% defense spending target was negotiated by Obama and agreed by NATO members before Trump took office. Trump took that cue and railed that America was paying for NATO as though it were a dues-based organization. When he went to Brussels to push for compliance, he raised the prospect of 4% as a new spending target even when the US was tracking to drop below 3%. While he may have achieved a policy victory here and there it was only ever by coincidence. I've not seen any indication has understands or even cares about any policy whatsoever and only says things that get him attention. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/opinion/editorials/trump-nato-obama.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/opinion/editorials/trump-... https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/obama-and-bush-also-pressed-nato-allies-to-spend-more-on-defense.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/obama-and-bush-also-pressed-...

tootie 5y ago

Based on all his public statements and all the insider accounts from both career civil servants and even his own political appointees, Trump never bothered to understand the subtlety of NATO or really any other policy. Just read what Fiona Hill and John Bolton among others have to say. He wanted out of NATO. He respected the word of Putin, he hated Ukraine and it was 100% personal. He refused to press Putin on election interference when he met him in Finland, but withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine unless they did him a favor to help his own electoral fortunes. The 2% defense spending target was negotiated by Obama and agreed by NATO members before Trump took office. Trump took that cue and railed that America was paying for NATO as though it were a dues-based organization. When he went to Brussels to push for compliance, he raised the prospect of 4% as a new spending target even when the US was tracking to drop below 3%. While he may have achieved a policy victory here and there it was only ever by coincidence. I've not seen any indication has understands or even cares about any policy whatsoever and only says things that get him attention. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/opinion/editorials/trump-nato-obama.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/opinion/editorials/trump-... https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/obama-and-bush-also-pressed-nato-allies-to-spend-more-on-defense.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/obama-and-bush-also-pressed-...