Trump warned Europe of being too dependent on Russia. He warned NATO that they were not spending enough on defense. And now, both of his warnings have proved correct.
Furthermore, he argued that if NATO does not step up its defense spending, the cost will be passed on to American taxpayers, and it has. Not only has the defense of a lazy, ungrateful, smirking, effeminate Europe been passed on to Americans, in the form of tax money being shipped to Kyiv, but Americans are also paying in the form of higher oil prices.
In a 2018 headline from The Washington Post, “Trump accused Germany of becoming ‘totally dependent’ on Russian energy at the U.N. The Germans just smirked.”
The story goes on to report that after Trump said: “Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course. Here in the Western Hemisphere, we are committed to maintaining our independence from the encroachment of expansionist foreign powers.” The delegates laughed at him, and the German representative smirked.
At the time, Trump detractors applauded the story, focusing solely on the part where delegates lowered themselves to laughing at the president of the United States.
The incident was widely shared across social media, serving as supposed evidence that Trump was not a good leader. However, his warnings have since proven to be true.
Trump demanded that NATO spend more on defense, threatening to shift US defense priorities away from Europe if they didn’t comply. At the time, only two or three NATO members were meeting their 2% of GDP spending requirement.
Trump argued that Europe was leaving the US to foot the bill, as the US provided about 70% of the total funding for the then 30-member group. NPR claimed to have debunked this assertion, citing the absence of an actual tab or written ledger.
However, this semantic counterargument overlooks the fundamental point that the US has been footing the bill for Europe’s defense for 70 years, all while facing criticism from Europe for its perceived militancy and warmongering stance.
Europe outsourced their defense to the US and then criticized the US for its large defense budget. These countries can’t even defend themselves, while the US has to spend enough to defend the free world.
Europe has always criticized the US for its lack of socialized medicine and higher education. Essentially, by hiding beneath the US nuclear defense umbrella, they were able to channel their defense budgets into healthcare and education.
Not only did Europe refuse to spend the agreed-upon percentage, but they were also funneling money to Russia through energy purchases. At the NATO summit, Trump emphasized, “We have to talk about the billions and billions of dollars that are being paid to the country we’re supposed to be protecting you against.”
Every dollar Putin receives is money that could be used to purchase weapons to threaten Europe. And given Europe’s reluctance to defend itself, the US is obligated to match Russia dollar-for-dollar.
In order to protect Europe from Russia, the US has to outspend Russia, which is being funded by Europe.
At a recent campaign rally, Trump stated that, as far as he was concerned, Moscow could do whatever it wanted to NATO allies who refused to meet defense spending requirements.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticized Trump, stating that such comments “undermine all of our security, including that of the U.S.” However, the secretary’s response overlooks the fact that NATO allies are freeloading and forcing US taxpayers to fund their defense.
The European allies don’t want Trump back in office because he called them out on their refusal to defend themselves. However, in addition to holding them accountable, Trump also kept Putin and Xi Jinping in check.
Some Democrats and mainstream media have accused Trump of being a Russian asset because he and Putin understood one another. However, the Ukraine invasion occurred under Biden, not Trump.
Trump faced similar criticism for his relationship with Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia is the US’s primary ally in countering Iran in the Middle East. Biden, on the other hand, referred to Saudi Arabia as a “pariah,” and now the Middle East is exploding in Iran-backed violence.
Trump warned them, but they dismissed his words because they were triggered by his tweets. They also didn’t appreciate being held accountable for their actions.
Now, Ukraine has been invaded, the Middle East is engulfed in violence, shipping through the Red Sea is disrupted, Somali pirates are back in action, gasoline prices are up, inflation is up, and the risk of a world war is increasing. Despite all this, Democrats claim victory because the angry tweets have stopped.
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