Trump’s bad comments on NATO and World War I

The US spends more on the military because it chooses to do so. Trump still doesn’t understand defense spending and NATO. He is right in saying other countries could contribute more to NATO but he doesn’t appear to understand the funding.

His comments on World War I and II were tasteless and wrong.

You stupid ass-wipe!

The French and British Armies held off the German advance into France for three years in World War I. The Battle of the Marne was a great victory.

And you forget that in World War II, part of the "European Military" was the Wehrmacht, which was unstoppable.

— Gerald Weaver (@Gerald_Weaver_) December 8, 2018

#Individual1 doesn't understand:
a) The #ParisRiots, blames the #ParisAgreement.
b) NOBODY is chanting "We want Trump" in #Paris or anywhere else other than in the #Kremlin.
c) Clueless re WWI or WWII & their acronyms.
d) Clueless re #NATO; it's there to protect Europe & U.S. pic.twitter.com/VtatNqPeC3

— Marisel Morales (@57MCM) December 8, 2018

Germany pays more like 1.5% (that's 50% higher than Trump claims), and only about half (maybe less) of the US defense budget goes to defend Europe, so our share is more like 2%. And nobody "pays" NATO. He still doesn't get this. https://t.co/b3SuTVvoCt

— Fred Kaplan (@fmkaplan) December 9, 2018

1) There was no European military in WW1 or 2 as in both wars Europeans fought Europeans. 2) much of what US spends on defense has nothing to do w Europe. 3) Yes, Germany should spend more on defense, but US spending on NATO a reflection of US self-interest, not aid to Europeans.

— Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) December 9, 2018

We Americans are rightfully proud of our efforts in WW1 and WW2. But the cheap boastfulness of this statement should make us wince. Thanks in part to America First we stayed out of WW2 until Pearl Harbor. In 1940-1941 Britain fought virtually alone to defend Western civilization. https://t.co/6fInQm4TBg

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 8, 2018

Amusing tweet about Russia and Saudi Arabia

This tweet. A+++ https://t.co/vUASLwEuwB

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 9, 2018

What’s going on with Trump and China?

Trump and his team can’t get their story straight. Who know what the truth is. I’m not saying Trump lied. I’m saying he may not know enough about the issues to have a coherent discussion and policy.

And even if there were a deal on autos, it would cut tariffs for all exporters to China, meaning most of the benefits would not go to the US. This is not optional: Most Favored Nation status is integral to the WTO 3/ https://t.co/Q3XB5K6za1

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 4, 2018

Fast! Trump has gone from "it's an incredible deal" to "seeing whether or not a REAL deal with China is actually possible," and "China will be buying massive amounts of product from us, including agricultural," to "China is supposed to start buying Agricultural product." pic.twitter.com/WPa8mSYsjc

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) December 4, 2018

Trump left his top advisers scrambling to explain a trade deal he claimed he’d struck with China to reduce tariffs on U.S. cars exported to the country — an agreement that doesn’t exist on paper and hasn’t been confirmed in Beijing.https://t.co/m7ig2H5scX

— Kevin Whitelaw (@KevinWhitelaw1) December 3, 2018

Trump declared on Twitter that China “has agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars coming into China from the U.S.” His top economic advisors are already disputing that claim. https://t.co/eR7VQYsDrd

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 3, 2018

Today in trade: Trump says China is cutting car tariffs, Navarro doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Kudlow gets China’s deadline off by a month, Lighthizer takes the reins from Mnuchin. https://t.co/Zsh4Dd2bxO

— Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) December 4, 2018

1) Trump: China is removing auto tariffs.
2) Kudlow: Hopefully, but no agreement.
3) China: <crickets>
4) WH: 90-day clock starts Dec 1
5) Kudlow: Jan 1
6) WH: ahem, Dec 1
7) Toomey: USMCA won't pass Congress.
8) Lighthizer has to sort it all out.
https://t.co/zk4pG0Uge0

— Damian Paletta (@damianpaletta) December 4, 2018

I guess Mexico won’t pay for the wall

I never thought they would pay for it.

Trump has abandoned all talk of Mexico paying for the wall https://t.co/5Od7z74OW1

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 3, 2018

update 12/4

OLD: Mexico will pay for the wall

NEW: The wall will pay for itself https://t.co/5QYOhlfhWS

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 4, 2018

You PROMISED your supporters who voted for you that

"MEXICO WILL PAY FOR THE WALL"

You knew it was a lie then.

It's a lie now.

And NOW you're threatening Congress because YOU CANNOT DELIVER YOUR SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN PROMISE.

You are a COMPLETE FRAUD.

A Snake oil salesman. https://t.co/2VWBbCUz7x

— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) December 5, 2018

Kushner pushed the State and Defense departments inflate the value of the Saudi arms deals

This is an excuse to support the Saudis and accept their lies about the murder of Khashoggi.

From Day 1, the Saudis told Kushner their interest was in A TOTAL of $15 Bil of arms (which has yet to be completed).
Kushner pushed for the Saudi arms deal “headline” to read $110 Bil.
All while he pursued the Saudis to finance 666 5th & family assets.
https://t.co/vfXbuhwvLn

— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) November 27, 2018

Jared Kushner pushed State and Defense Department officials to inflate the Saudi arms deal to $110 billion, two U.S. officials and three former White House officials tell ABC News. Jim Mattis reportedly supported Kushner's effort. https://t.co/keZQOHMQ6I

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 26, 2018

Congress must investigate Trump’s and Jared Kushner's financial dealings with Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman and resulting conflicts of interest. https://t.co/JM5Mdw1ovw

MbS once reportedly bragged about having Kushner “in his pocket”https://t.co/MXD1vP5mHN

— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) November 21, 2018

Trump sides with the Saudis instead of truth and justice

His top concern is money. We know about his inflated numbers for arms deals. We don’t know if his personal business dealings affected his decision.

“It is what it is,” Potus says of Khashoggi killing and Saudi Arabia while leaving the White House.

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) November 20, 2018

Trump just now: “I don’t make deals with Saudi Arabia. I don’t have money from Saudi Arabia. I have nothing to do with Saudi Arabia.”

Trump in August 2015: “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million.”

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) November 20, 2018

Reminder:

After 2 years of decline, revenue jumped 13% in the first 3 months of 2018 at Trump’s Manhattan hotel following a single visit by Saudis traveling with the Crown Prince.

The Saudi government also spent $270,000 at Trump’s DC hotel in 2017.https://t.co/vZh42A5Dou

— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) November 20, 2018

Statement from Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan in response to President Trump's statement today regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/JJzw9yaU6Z

— Washington Post PR (@WashPostPR) November 20, 2018

This statement is essentially Saudi propaganda coming out of the mouth of the president of the United States. I've never seen anything like it. https://t.co/cgmJJ2Ljoh

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) November 20, 2018

President Trump defends US-Saudi relations: "I'm not going to destroy the world economy, and I'm not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia." https://t.co/y4J35qtJZ3 pic.twitter.com/DLdcKVWucw

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 20, 2018

Trump shamefully refuses to hold Saudi Arabia and the Crown Prince accountable for its repression and #Khashoggi's murder.

Meanwhile, jailed Saudi women’s rights activists said to face electric shocks, beatings and other abuse. A MUST READ from @kfahim: https://t.co/FFhJFKLdSt

— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) November 20, 2018

A good line-by-line fact-check of Trump's statement on Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/sZewmL0lIM

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 20, 2018

.@realDonaldTrump says if we abandon Saudi Arabia it would be a terrible mistake saying it’s about oil prices, arms deals & Iran. He claims 450 billion in Saudi deals but they’ve promised only 14.5 billion and he is ignoring CIA conclusion crown prince ordered Khashoggi murdered

— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) November 20, 2018

Trump stands alone

Trump is isolating the US from the rest of the world. Sad!

As WaPo's WH team divvied up Trump's Nov. foreign trips, I had lobbied for G20 in Buenos Aires b/c he will meet Xi and, now, Putin. But being here in Paris is remarkable to see Trump again so pointedly isolated from European allies. America First translating to America alone.

— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 11, 2018

World leaders are walking shoulder to shoulder along the Champs Elysses but Trump arrived separately and isn’t participating in this. pic.twitter.com/kRQlrVKihV

— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 11, 2018

What a disgraceful non-performance by a man who has conspicuously defaulted on the role that every American president in the past hundred years has proudly occupied in the free world. Let’s hope no future POTUS is so derelict in his or her duty. https://t.co/6pUZu3Di3S

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 11, 2018

Good for Macron for speaking out against nationalism.

"Nationalism is not patriotism, nationalism is not conservatism, nationalism is not even populism. Nationalism is a tool, a gateway drug for authoritarian statism, that leads to people being stacked up like cord wood in camps. And it never ends well."

@TheRickWilson https://t.co/4oqOy4WtwR

— Dennis Herring (@dcherring) November 11, 2018

Yes. It was about YOU. https://t.co/0OC7Quh6zT

— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) November 11, 2018

Trump wouldn’t visit a World War I cemetery because of rain

Other leaders went. Trump is a disgrace. I don’t want to hear about how he supports the military if he avoids paying his share of taxes. Has anyone related to him even been in the US military?

The Canadian prime minister at the memorial at Aisne-Marne today. The U.S. president's bone spurs acted up and he couldn't make it. pic.twitter.com/WbOfdBSF4H

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 11, 2018

If a football player kneeling during the national anthem is an act of appalling disrespect to the men and women who serve, what is it when the Commander in Chief refuses to go to the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers because of a little rain?

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 10, 2018

Trump’s decision not to pay his personal respects to the American soldiers who gave their lives in WWI because the rain would supposedly have posed a danger to Mr. Bonespurs is a total disgrace and an abject dereliction of duty. This president is a pig, not a real POTUS. https://t.co/9d945lHmw2

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 10, 2018

I’ve walked American military cemeteries overseas with General John Kelly. I can’t imagine he’s thrilled with his boss today. In fact, I imagine he’s disgusted.

— George Little (@georgelittledc) November 10, 2018

Of all the "imagine-if-Obama-had-done it" stories, Trump's failure to honor the fallen Americans in France because of (light?) rain may be THE most "imagine-if-Obama-had-done-it" of all. https://t.co/lvcb3D74ag

— Jeff Greenfield (@greenfield64) November 10, 2018

Even worse. The “rainy day” excuse turned out to be just another Trump fabrication. Disrespect doubled up with duplicity. Awesome. https://t.co/oq2dHE14Bb

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 10, 2018

Hello the unroll you asked for: Thread by @davidfrum: "Some perspective on President Trump canceling his projected visit to the (spectacular, not-to-be-missed) Aisne-Marne mem […]" https://t.co/PBsUBYlH1k
Share this if you think it's interesting. 🤖

— Thread Reader App (@threadreaderapp) November 10, 2018

I can only imagine what so many of my Republican brethren would have said had Barack Obama let a little rain keep him from an important World War I commemoration.

— Doug Heye (@DougHeye) November 10, 2018

No need to have fake balance with this. Trump will play golf in the rain but not honor the troops. It’s pathetic. https://t.co/YMWyIEoVUG

— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) November 10, 2018

State Department

Lots of problems here. I don’t think it will be easy to get people to work for the State Department after Trump or rebuild foreign trust in the US.

Almost Half the Top Jobs in Trump's State Department are Still Empty | Via: TheAtlantic https://t.co/VSRIQx1l0D

— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) November 6, 2018

Trump’s war on the State Department

Diplomat who quit the Trump administration

A Western official complained that establishing a working relationship with US counterparts has become very hard since Trumps ousts everyone or simply keeps positions open at the State Department https://t.co/k9E6WXxmqr pic.twitter.com/obsXDax5YQ

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 5, 2018

U.S. diplomats may soon be prohibited from using the phrases "sexual and reproductive health" and "comprehensive sexuality education" under a proposal being floated to Mike Pompeo, four people familiar with the issue told Politico. https://t.co/HLy2yn8WG1

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 1, 2018

Veteran U.S. diplomats say that the State Department is in its most diminished condition since the McCarthy purges, in the 1950s: https://t.co/uMoT53jUJx pic.twitter.com/4EFYuuaCMv

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) May 16, 2018

Tom Shannon’s departure leaves just one career ambassador at the State Department, @kcalamur writes https://t.co/1AvjrM4c53 pic.twitter.com/g7WcmEIDeX

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) February 5, 2018

Emails allegedly show the White House planned a purge of the State Department https://t.co/ekTTYa3rjB

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) March 20, 2018

Tillerson leaves behind a hollowed out State Dept:

Key Ambassadors not appointed: 38

Assistant Secretary vacancies: 16

Under-Secretary vacancies: 6, including 1 fired today

h/t @mitchellreports

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 13, 2018

Frustrated State Department employees hire attorneys, charging ‘political retribution’

Trump’s nationalism has changed the world

And not in a good way. The damage will be hard to undo. After Trump, why would any country sign a treaty with the US knowing it could be easily undone by a future president?

How President Trump's nationalism has already changed the world https://t.co/EKNRqmfkiq pic.twitter.com/9Q6XSEvrbi

— CNN (@CNN) October 27, 2018