GOP Officials, Once Critical, Stand by Trump After NATO Comments

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

GOP Officials, Once Critical, Stand by Trump After NATO Comments

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
Mon, February 12, 2024 at 7:27 AM EST·8 min read

After Donald Trump suggested he had threatened to encourage Russia to attack “delinquent” NATO allies, the response among many Republican officials has struck three themes — expressions of support, gaze aversion or even cheerful indifference.

Republican Party elites have become so practiced at deflecting even Trump’s most outrageous statements that they quickly batted this one away. Trump, the party’s likely presidential nominee, had claimed at a Saturday rally in South Carolina that he once threatened a NATO government to meet its financial commitments — or else he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to that country.

In a phone interview Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina seemed surprised to even be asked about Trump’s remark.

“Give me a break — I mean, it’s Trump,” Graham said. “All I can say is while Trump was president nobody invaded anybody. I think the point here is to, in his way, to get people to pay.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, ...

-snip-

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/gop-officials-once-critical-stand-122725984.html

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Lindsey you spineless worm

[bucolic_frolic]

2. America First Nazi-tolerators, same as 1939

It's always about GOP wallets.

[JohnSJ]

3. It would be refreshing to see the NY Times actually call trump out for once, but that would

be asking too much

[patphil]

4. Dismissing Trump's inflammatory remarks as just rhetoric flies in the face of his love relationship with Putin.

He can't be allowed to be in a position where there is any chance he could actually do this.
Yes, we should encourage other nations to commit at least 2% of their GDP to defense, but telling the world we won't honor our NATO commitment if they don't is giving Russia a green flag to pursue their war on Ukraine with even more vigor.
Note: Due to the war, many NATO nations have increased their defense spending and more are near or above the 2% mark.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/europe-and-nato-are-stepping-up-on-ukraine/

[doc03]

5. If Trump said he would kiss Putin's ass on 5th Ave that would be OK with

that spineless asshat Graham.

[Aristus]

6. Pay? Pay what? And when? And where?

Do NATO nations step up to the NATO velvet rope, hand the 500-lb guy named Tiny a $100 bill, and get admitted to the club?

That's not how it works, Lindsey...