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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: "Trump often applies pressure through a very forceful approach.
"The last American presidents politely asked us, "Please, finally do a little more for your own defense," but across Europe those requests largely fell on deaf ears.
"Now there is an American president who says, rather bluntly, "Enough is enough."
"And I cannot blame him. Just look at the numbers: the United States spends around 80 percent of NATO's defense resources, while Europe accounts for only about 20 percent.
"That is unacceptable. It has always been unacceptable."
Yes. It always has been.
I never cease to marvel at how Europe's (and Canada's) leaders act as though they believe that they are somehow the side "indulging" the President of the United States.
The sheer arrogance.
I'm a lifelong Atlanticist, but if Europe doesn't step up and soon, even I'm for pulling out of NATO.
Explain to me the downside to the U.S. Now, explain to me the downside to a bunch of freeloading European "powers" that use our defense budget to subsidize their welfare programs. And this is particularly galling coming from a country (the UK) that has nearly twice as many admirals as warships. It's a joke.
They keep threatening to "go it alone" on defense. What, with a Boy Scout troop? Puh-lease. And if they did, in what possible respect would that hurt us?
It is no different from a small child threatening to hold his breath until he turns blue.
Our European friends would do well to take stock of who they have actually become and how far they've actually fallen. Their richest country is poorer per capita than our poorest state. And after that impossible feat, perhaps they will actually begin to understand why Presidents since Bush have been telling them these exact same things. They're just at the end of the 25-year-long line now, and Trump is saying the quiet parts out loud.
It's the Pacific Century, folks. NATO can partners, or not. But they no longer get to be dependents. And we no longer care about their pathetic, unearned condescension.
It's good to see that Chancellor Merz -- leader of a country that sometimes shows up to NATO exercises with broomsticks because it doesn't have enough rifles, despite having the world's third largest economy -- has finally realized that.
May others follow. Quickly.
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