Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia
Source: NY Times
WASHINGTON There are few things that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia desires more than the weakening of NATO, the military alliance among the United States, Europe and Canada that has deterred Soviet and Russian aggression for 70 years.
Last year, President Trump suggested a move tantamount to destroying NATO: the withdrawal of the United States.
Senior administration officials told The New York Times that several times over the course of 2018, Mr. Trump privately said he wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Current and former officials who support the alliance said they feared Mr. Trump could return to his threat as allied military spending continued to lag behind the goals the president had set.
In the days around a tumultuous NATO summit meeting last summer, they said, Mr. Trump told his top national security officials that he did not see the point of the military alliance, which he presented as a drain on the United States.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/nato-president-trump.html
Trump is a Russian asset.
Even discussing the idea of leaving NATO let alone actually doing so would be the gift of the
century for Putin, Admiral Stavridis said.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Botany
(70,501 posts)It would destroy 70-plus years of painstaking work across multiple administrations, Republican and Democratic, to create perhaps the most powerful and advantageous alliance in history, Ms. Flournoy said in an interview. And it would be the wildest success that Vladimir Putin could dream of.
Retired Adm. James G. Stavridis, the former supreme allied commander of NATO, said an American withdrawal from the alliance would be a geopolitical mistake of epic proportion.
Anon-C
(3,430 posts)Botany
(70,501 posts)Russias meddling in American elections and its efforts to prevent former satellite states from joining the alliance have aimed to weaken what it views as an enemy next door, the American officials said. With a weakened NATO, they said, Mr. Putin would have more freedom to behave as he wishes, setting up Russia as a counterweight to Europe and the United States.
An American withdrawal from the alliance would accomplish all that Mr. Putin has been trying to put into motion, the officials said essentially, doing the Russian leaders hardest and most critical work for him.
RHMerriman
(1,376 posts)Impeachment for treason...
dalton99a
(81,475 posts)Salviati
(6,008 posts)What would he be doing any differently?
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,585 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)Joy Reid this past weekend, iirc. He said something like, if Trump weren't a Russian agent, how would we know?
SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)dalton99a
(81,475 posts)That's the bottom line.
iluvtennis
(19,852 posts)ffr
(22,669 posts)If people aren't going to admire how he's fleecing their pocketbooks while lining his with Russian blood money, then everybody is going to end up unhappy.
He could defect to Russia and take his family with him and I think Putin would care for them well. They've served Mother Russia handsomely. I just wonder if they have an escape plan for exiting the country they've betrayed.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,527 posts)Eyeball_Kid
(7,431 posts)The rumor was that he talks with Putin nearly every day. If so, that explains his drive to abandon NATO, and get out of the ME. It's all Putin's plan. Trumpy is listening only to Putin.
dalton99a
(81,475 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,527 posts)There's no doubt they both believe Putin is in charge!
Wowie.
Thanks.
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)Putin is upright, triumphant, the total leader snd master of the two. drumpf is slumped down, the supplicant, the abject toady of his obvious master. That is the nature of their relationship. I bet PUtin is tired of Cheetollinis whining, I can't pull out of NATO, they will crucify me and the drumpf/russia ruling coalition will be over.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)There is nothing more important to him than to destroy NATO. I really wish other countries that are part of NATO would start imposing sanction on the US to censure trump. We are struggling to contain him from withing, help from our allies would be handy. In many ways we are preaching to the choir here as most of us were well aware of trump treason for over a year. As I said before we are likely going to enter the most dangerous period of our country soon where nothing is off the charts.
trusty elf
(7,391 posts)olddad56
(5,732 posts)if you are at a point where you know Trump is a Russian agent, then why wuldn't he do as much damage to the US as he can, while he can. His days are numbered. but, as a democracy, so are we.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)what a dipshit (R).
still_one
(92,187 posts)bdamomma
(63,845 posts)and those who are American traitors to this POS.
still_one
(92,187 posts)bdamomma
(63,845 posts)our country period.
He just needs to be arrested. Can we exclude him from this right.
In the United States, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. The 14th amendment to the US Constitution guarantees to every person, aliens included, equal protection under the law.
tRump should be given nothing.
bluestarone
(16,926 posts)Total idiot BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!