Trump strongly considering pulling out of NATO

[blue-wave]

So let's understand this. Trump lifts sanctions against Russia to help the Russian economy. Consider this: The ONLY tanker he allows into Cuba is a Russian tanker.

Trump asks our allies to deplete their air defense capabilities as war is waging around them.
Read this: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143641655

And now he is threatening to pull the U.S. out of NATO. A defensive organization that has kept Europe at peace since WWII. If Ukraine had been part of NATO in 2022, Pootin would have NEVER invaded.

I predict that Trump will pull us out of NATO. I also predict that when that happens it will be a short time before Pootin attacks and invades other European countries.

I hope I'm wrong. But I see our chance to avert such a world-wide catastrophe is for congressional republicans, at least some of them, to stand up and stop the insanity. What will it take for the republicans in congress to stop this madness? When WWIII breaks out, it will be too late.

[milestogo]

1. TAPO?

Trump Always Pulls Out.

[xmas74]

36. Not always, unfortunately

We know of at least 5 times he didn't pull out.

[wcmagumba]

2. I'm not sure Trump can do that, it would likely take Congress to move the US out of NATO...

I could be wrong.

[blue-wave]

5. Well the guy thinks

he's a king. He'll try it at least. And if he can't, he will attempt to continue further weaken the alliance by cutting funding and restricting arms sales. He'll find other ways too, I'm certain.

[mymomwasright]

9. 2024 NDA prevents president from doing this

Good news! It takes 2/3 Senate or and act of congress.

[blue-wave]

44. But

can he take that to the Supreme Court and attempt to change that rule/law? He can also pull troops from Europe, pull funding and stop arms sales.

[Bluetus]

45. Yes. A little more detail (not much more)

"the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, enacted on 22 December 2023, prohibits the President from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without approval of a two-third Senate super-majority "

Why don't reporters take 5 seconds to Google these things before writing these stories?

[rampartd]

54. or, he just does it

by the time it gets to the supreme court putin will be in berlin.

[CousinIT]

10. Congress must approve it. But the old asshole may try it anyway.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-major-hurdle-pull-us-out-of-nato-11768249

President Donald Trump faces legislative obstacles if he wants to make good on threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO.

However, Trump could try to sidestep 2023 legislation preventing a president from unilaterally withdrawing from the security bloc, with one U.S. political expert telling Newsweek he could ensure the U.S. "quit NATO in all but name."

. . .

Law Prohibits NATO Withdrawal Without Congressional Backing
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said this week that the U.S. may "reexamine" its role in NATO. However, a law that he spearheaded would mitigate against this.

In 2023, Rubio, along with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) authored legislation requiring that any presidential decision to exit NATO needed either two-thirds Senate approval or to be authorized through an act of Congress.

It prohibits the president from suspending, terminating, denouncing or withdrawing the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty, which established NATO, without the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress.

. . .

But there is a possibility that Trump could sidestep this legislation by citing presidential authority over foreign policy.

[blue-wave]

14. He can also

just pull all our troops from Europe. He can cut funding. He can stop arms sales. Doing just these three things would weaken Europe. Would it be enough to encourage Putin to invade another European country? Possibly.

And if the argument is that Russia is too weak to invade another country I don't think Putin really cares. He has already lost 1.3 million lives killed or wounded. What's another million or two to a psychopath? Putin does not care. He is colder than ice.

[Shipwack]

29. You're not wrong, but....

Congress (or at least the Republican ones) have to care.

He’s encroached on Congressional prerogatives several times before with no pushback.

The question is are there enough Republicans left that support NATO AND can override Speaker Johnson’s acquiescence.

[LoisB]

60. I think he can declare it but the Senate would have to agree.

"He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur". I assume if 2/3 of the Senate has to agree to make a treaty, the same would apply to cancel one.

[blue-wave]

61. Good Point

[Kid Berwyn]

3. Putin wins again.

Trump is a traitor.

[dalton99a]

21. +1

[Ocelot II]

4. Fred Trump should have pulled out 80 years ago.

[Cattledog]

6. Bluff

Trump needs 2/3s Congressional approval to pull out of NATO.

"Section 1250A of the 2024 NDAA specifically prohibits the President from "suspending, terminating, denouncing, or withdrawing" the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty without Congressional approval."

[blue-wave]

11. And laws and rules have stopped him before?

Even if he can't pull us out of NATO, he'll do whatever he can to weaken NATO so much that the U.S. part of NATO is nonexistent. He can pull our troops out of Europe. He can stop arms sales. He can stop funding. And I'm sure there's more he can do.

[0rganism]

13. That law will be challenged in court, if applied

The administration will bring the case as infringement on "separation of powers" impeding the Almighty President's "Emergency Power To Rule By Decree", hence unconstitutional.

5-4 to overturn, Handmaid as the lone crossover opinion.

[ITAL]

7. I don't think Russia is invading anyone else for the time being

They're still being ground to a halt in Ukraine. Unless he completely removes his troops to attack elsewhere, he really doesn't have the resources for another campaign at this time.

[blue-wave]

41. I hope so

[lostincalifornia]

8. I think it is more than a threat. The POS is going to pull out. Everything he touches turns to garbage.

[BannonsLiver]

12. Nah. I don't think so.

[blue-wave]

16. Tell that to

Hillary after the 2016 "election."

[BannonsLiver]

17. Okay.

We’re having coffee tomorrow.

[blue-wave]

20. Oh, can I go too?

[Festivito]

27. Any scapegoat in a s***-storm

It's just one in a thousand initialisms.

[CoopersDad]

15. He has always signalled that he wants to do this.

He won't get away with it.

[BannonsLiver]

19. "BuT tRuMP iS inVulNeRaBlE aNd I'M skEeeREd!"

[blue-wave]

23. It's not that Trump is

invulnerable or that anyone is scared. What it IS is Trump's unpredictability and lack of reason.

[Johnny2X2X]

18. Strongly?

I hate how his language infects everything now. Everything he says is hyperbolic, he inserts "strongly" or "powerful" or "bigly" into everything. I am "strongly considering" something is a pretty immature way to talk IMO.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

58. +1 I hate it, too.

I remember about 100 years ago* in Helsinki, the shitbag saying that Putin "strongly denies" he "meddled" in the 2016 election. What can he do? He not only denies it, he strongly denies it!

That was another stupid and inaccurate word everyone in the media and the world insisted upon using: "meddled."


* Feels like it.

[blue-wave]

59. He certainly has a weird way of

speaking, doesn't he?

[Renew Deal]

22. He doesn't have the votes

[blue-wave]

25. But he can pull funding from NATO.

He can recall our troops from Europe. He can stop arms sales to Europe. If Putin invades after our troops are completely out of Europe, will he then invade other European countries? Maybe.

[blue-wave]

40. I hope so

[Norbert]

24. Putie is having wet dreams right now.

[Amaryllis]

26. Read the threads on what Zelenskyy is doing with the gulf states. This is changing a lot of geopolitical dynamics.

[patphil]

28. Our membership in NATO is confirmed by a treaty that would need an act of Congress to break.

It would be a real test for the complicity of Congress in the Trump destruction of NATO and facilitation of an expanding sphere of influence of Russia in Europe.
I'm not saying he won't try, and that a silent republican Congress wouldn't do what they do best...Nothing, nothing at all.
Even if he couldn't break the treaty, he could reduce our presence in Europe, and maybe even close bases there.
I don't believe his handlers would let him do that this year. It would be just another nail in the coffin of republican control of Congress.
But then there's no telling what a madman will do.

[blue-wave]

30. I agree: "But then there's no telling what a madman will do."

He makes moves that greatly favor Russia. All the while Russia supplies information about our bases and troops to Iran. Americans are dying because of this!!! Who in congress is attempting to stop this? Where's the outrage?

[Safe as Milk]

42. The GOP is aligned

with both Putin and Diddling Donny. If Donny wants to be annexed by Russia, it’s thumbs-up from the GOP. Donny is infallible. He’s God’s own asshole.

[rollin74]

31. I would expect nothing less from Krasnov

nearly everything he does seems to benefit Putin for some strange reason

[GiqueCee]

35. The reason isn't really all that strange...

... Trump's been in Russia's pocket for decades. The FSB, formerly the KGB, saw an opportunity in this sleaze bag real estate grifter, and groomed him with the promise of real estate deals with oligarchs, and arranging loans when American banks wouldn't give him a dime because they couldn't trust him any further than they could throw a garbage truck.
Putin's been pulling his strings for a LONG time. He's been Russia's Manchurian Candidate for years.
The sooner he's buried in a sand trap on an abandoned public golf course, the better off the world will be.
But your sarcasm is duly noted.

[Torchlight]

32. By estimate, about 3/4 of Russia' military's is currently dedicated

to their stalemate in Ukraine, and even that large force is stuck in place, battling for meters rather than miles.

I think we're looking at 15 years (best case scenario and if all else goes well for Moscow) before Russia is even ready to think about fielding force-projection that can challenge NATO, with or without the U.S.

[blue-wave]

39. I hope you are correct

[Hope22]

33. The way he talks and his actions...

….i thought we had already withdrawn!! We have no allies. His mission is complete!

[paleotn]

34. Luckily Pooty Poot doesn't have the resources

to invade anywhere else in Europe. He blew most of his combat power in Ukraine. It I’ll take years to rebuild AFTER the Russo-Ukrainian war is over. His plate is full right now.

[blue-wave]

37. We'll see

I don't think Pooty cares about his country or its' people. He seems to want a victorious Russia or a completely destroyed Russia. Kinda seems like Hitler's mentality at the end of WWII.

[paleotn]

62. No seeing to it.

Russia is having to refurbish and roll out tanks and AFV's that are 40 to 50 years old, and artillery tubes. The only good thing about the war in Ukraine is it ground down the Russian military nearly to a nub equipment wise. And exposed it for what many of us already knew it was. A bunch of glossy brochures for international arms sales and not much more. That's the thing about kleptocracies. The money never makes it into actual, functional military systems. Much if not most ends up in various pockets, from front line soldier graft to oligarchs. All want their cut. So when they actually have to fight a real shooting war, things can go very, very wrong.

[Safe as Milk]

38. What an asshole. n/t

[ChicagoTeamster]

43. He thought he could get them to lose ships and troops in HORMUZ by insulting them. He's stupid.

Canada and Mexico made trade deals with each other, China, and our European trade partners all because of Trump's insults and attempts to damage their economies with his game of musical tariffs.

Now, after Trump committed the US to Netanyahu's war on Iran against the advice of current and former intelligence chiefs, and current and former General staff of our military, he wants our NATO allies to lose their troops and ships in the Straight of Hormuz to take over a war he didn't consult them on after it has already reached the lose lose situation phase where every option left for any type of ground invasion is a suicide mission.

After the man who's entire lineage of male family members have evaded military service for over 150 years, himself included, he's telling the very allies who's militaries sacrificed service members coming to our defense when Article 5 was invoked after 9/11 that they didn't actually fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. The man who abandoned our Kurdish allies in Syria allowing the Russians to take over our bases. The man who wants Zelensky to surrender territory to Russia after losing so many citizens to the illegal invasion of the Russian aggressor. The man who's own sons bragged about how they no longer needed banks after Trump's bankruptcy because they were getting all of the funding they needed for their hotel and golf businesses from the Russians. Now it's from the Saudis and Qataris and UAE.

But, after all of those insults to their loyalty, and attacks on their economies, he wants our former European allies and trade partners to take the place of the US military in being decimated in a war he joined Israel in starting with Iran. If they drain their finances and lose ships, troops, and tanks in Iran, how will they defend Europe from the Russians?

[blue-wave]

46. Spot On!!

[GB_RN]

47. Good Luck With That, Caligula...

The first go ‘round, when he talked about bailing on NATO, Congress overwhelmingly voted to make it so a/the president cannot unilaterally withdraw us; Congress would have to approve a withdrawal.

Now, whether that’s constitutional is a different question. AFAIK, Cantaloupe Caligula the Corpulent would be (about?) the only person to have standing to sue and that would be tied up in court for longer than he’d be in office. Of course, that assumes that (In)Justice Roberts and his gang of corrupt clowns follow regular order and stay out of the fight until appeals courts ruled.

[blue-wave]

48. Good points but

there are still too many ifs, ands or buts for me to rest easy.

[GB_RN]

49. I Get It. Believe Me...

I get it. 😬

[sleroy49]

50. Trump's dad should have pulled out

[Krazy_Kat]

52. Amen!

[ABC123Easy]

51. Predicting Dolt45 pulling out of NATO

Isn't really much of a prediction. That's like predicting the Las Vegas Raiders will draft Fernando Mendoza with the first pick.....not going out on a limb

[quakerboy]

53. Putin is already not winning in Ukraine

How is going hot with the rest of Europe going to help his situation?

[blue-wave]

57. Good question

The heck if I know. Invading Ukraine in the first place was crazy if you ask me.

[Takket]

55. I don't even think his MAGA Congress would go for that.

[blue-wave]

56. I hope you're right but

I still have my doubts.