Trump suggests NATO allies raise target spending to 4 percent
Source: The Hill
President Trump suggested Wednesday that NATO allies should increase their defense spending from 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to 4 percent.
"During the Presidents remarks today at the NATO summit he suggested that countries not only meet their commitment of 2% of their GDP on defense spending, but that they increase it to 4%. The President raised this same issue when he was at NATO last year," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
"President Trump wants to see our allies share more of the burden and at a very minimum meet their already stated obligations," she added. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev first told a national radio station that Trump had raised the prospect of a heightened spending commitment during a meeting with world leaders at the NATO summit.
NATO is not a [market] at which one can buy security. But yes, on the other hand, President Trump is right, as each country should build its effective capabilities, and the unwillingness with which Bulgaria spends money on defense is obvious, Radev said, according to Bloomberg.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/396485-trump-suggests-nato-allies-raise-target-spending-level
AP Live coverage:
[div class"excerpt"]6 p.m.
President Donald Trump has suggested that NATO allies commit to spending 4 percent of their GDP on defense, up from the current goal of 2 percent by 2024.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirms Trump raised the idea at a closed-door meeting with fellow NATO leaders Wednesday in Brussels.
It's unclear by what date he'd like to see the increase.
Trump has been pressing member countries to spend more on defense, accusing them of freeloading off the U.S.
https://www.apnews.com/5d9af207650e42cd9fbf96ce7d8c59d1/The-Latest:-Trump-suggests-NATO-allies-spend-more-on-defense?utm_campaignSocialFlow&utm_mediumAP&utm_sourceTwitter&__twitter_impressiontrue
Link to tweet
louis c
(8,652 posts)lark
(23,003 posts)drumpf is 100& batshit & awful and has no mind except for figuring out how to hurt brown/black and all working class people, get his lies believed, profit for himself and do Putin's bidding so Putin lets him keep the extravagant Rosneft $$ and doesn't release the miles of tape he has proving drumpf is a total traitor and Russian rusty tool.
JustAnotherGen
(31,681 posts)I think Merkel needs to get with Macron - one tap his shoulder and clearly state: It's us against you now.
I'm done with 45 bullying our allies. They need to forcefully stand up for their countries, their beliefs, their citizens.
45 is threatening the people of these countries - All of them.
Botany
(70,291 posts)The man is a Russian agent.
JustAnotherGen
(31,681 posts)I think 45 should just start letting Putin do the talking for him.
Botany
(70,291 posts)The "they are not paying enough" meme is not a new one,
JustAnotherGen
(31,681 posts)The EU may be the last stronghold though. The best thing for their people right now just might be a total break in conversation with 45. Let him finish up this trip- then freeze him out until the end of his Presidency.
Point blank - 45 can't be trusted. And they shouldn't trust 45 or any members of the GOP as they give 45 cover.
Botany
(70,291 posts).... Trump is a Russian agent.
PatSeg
(46,794 posts)so he can have an excuse to leave NATO.
demmiblue
(36,744 posts)PatSeg
(46,794 posts)he found outrageous enough to piss people off or Putin told him to say 4%.
Maxheader
(4,366 posts)Like that remark about germany being protected from russia
by americu and they owe us..
Showing off for the hillbillys back home..And I am reading that
now from some sites..."Trump giving the euros hell!!"
exboyfil
(17,857 posts)Why don't we spend 2% on our defense and redefine the roll of our DoD to protecting just our hemisphere.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)How can they spin this into making Trump look like a peaceful diplomat and the US like a war-hungry empire?
progree
(10,864 posts)Last edited Wed Jul 11, 2018, 02:57 PM - Edit history (2)
This is in LBN posted 1047a ET and and says "1 hour ago". Probably most everyone reading this has seen it already, but just in case ...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142106244
which excerpts from: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/report-trudeau-defies-trump-at-nato-meeting-cuts-military-spending/ar-AAzV0Zn?ocid=spartanntp
According to the CBC, Canada will spend around 1.23 percent of its GDP on defense in 2018, down from 1.36 percent last year. This is far below the 2 percent target set for NATO members, which has been a particular bugbear for the American president.
Canadian National Defence spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said the drop in investment was largely down to one-off payments. One was a retroactive pay increase for service members and the other was a $1.3 billion payment into the fund that pays out servicemember pensions.
On Edit: See #19 by Bernardo de La Paz just below:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2106415
quoting from From https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/whats-happening-to-canadas-defence-spending-harjit-sajjan-responds/
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,788 posts)From https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142106244
From https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/whats-happening-to-canadas-defence-spending-harjit-sajjan-responds/
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan answers a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Thursday, June 9, 2016. (Adrian Wyld/CP)
louis c
(8,652 posts)Last edited Wed Jul 11, 2018, 01:59 PM - Edit history (1)
The NATO agreement states that each country spend 2% of it's GDP on defense. That is not a contribution to NATO, or even Europe, but the entire defense budget.
Our 3.5% includes all of our spending in Asia, the Middle East and other areas of the world.
If I was in charge of a European country, I'd just increase the salaries of all the military personnel to reach the 2% goal. This way, the money would most likely be spent "in country" as a sort of economic stimulus. Also, you could add personnel to improve your unemployment rate.
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,788 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(48,788 posts)I purposely space out the dots between the title and the "nt" to make it clear that it is just separation and NOT suggesting continuation; not performing the function of ellipses which is to suggest continuation. Ellipses do not have spaces; the three or four dots they employ are tightly grouped.
But, of course, you have never made a positive comment about one of my posts. It's an unfortunate pattern others have noticed too.
demmiblue
(36,744 posts)I went back to see if they made a correction (they did) in order to see if I should self-delete.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,355 posts)Is the US now a loanshark/debt collector?
Snellius
(6,881 posts)Senate passed a 97-2 vote yesterday. House to pass another today, probably with as large a majority. Nonbinding, of course, but still interesting for Congress to be openly defying the foreign policy of the Commander in Chief right in the midst of summit negotiations abroad.