Politics

[KJE81]

So..Hegseth has ordered a 40% decrease of USA´s military budget over 5 years.. What is happening here..? Is a withdraval from NATO next..?

Now he is turning on Zelensky.. And demanding election..? Sure, USA and Britain held elections in WW2..but neither had the enemy within their borders..!

Trump is becoming more and more absurd..

I thought this post on the White House twitter/X-account feels rather ominous, especially since Trump more or less made a promise to "rule like a dictator from day one" https://apnews.com/article/trump-ha...ial-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72

I assume that the White house staff would not publish a picture like this without checking with senior Trump advisors before...

 

[Brent in Az]

Please tell Trump to stay on american soil and never to bother with anything outside the US. That isn`t too much to ask for.

Fine. We'll keep our money on American soil as well.

 

[hyipl]

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[deewayne2003]

Concur.

Pay down the debt and reduce the cost of servicing the debt annually..

Revamp the tax code, simplify it, and reduce the average Americans income tax liability..

You do that and make housing available/ affordable and you will see the middle class flourish again with a lot less complaining from lots of people.

It will be interesting to see how quickly the escalation on immigration enforcement will affect rent and home values.

 

[Red Leg]

You speak from my soul.
Putin has wiped out entire cities with civilians in this world, Grozny is just one of many.
People mean as much in Russia as they do in Africa - nothing at all, at least not to the communist leadership.
Unfortunately, it is true that Ukraine is a damn corrupt state (104th out of 180 ,CPI Index)
Nevertheless, children are admitted to the clinics there every day without arms and legs. Mutilated and destroyed by Russian drone attacks - is that their price?
Lavrov went one better on Tuesday in Riad and demanded the withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from Europe!!!
Hegseth's plans are the actions of a greenhorn who has no idea of the Russian power cadres.
Putin pushes forward into every gap left by the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa.
Of course, he doesn't need to be elected and he doesn't need to satisfy his people by talking about good deals.
Putin's coffers are almost inexhaustible thanks to oil and gas and he doesn't care about his own people only his ideology of Big-Russia
People-you can't trust a KGB man.
Too bad that doesn't get through to your leadership.

Foxi

I wish it were as simple as Hegseth taking inexplicable action, but following the hearing, I concluded he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. That was confirmed during a series of missteps on his European tour. He is simply taking direction - one assumes from Trump, but who knows. This would be the same Donald trump who promised to revitalize the American military. And if anyone believes that cutting the services by 40% over 5 years will make them leaner and more lethal, they are delusional.

 

[lwaters]

Don't know if true or not just read that NATO is talking about putting Troops into Greenland. So evidently Europe thinks Trump is serious about Greenland. Kind of scary if Europe is taking an anti American stance.

 

[mdwest]

I agree… Hegseth is merely the mouthpiece in these negotiations… he still plays a vital role.. but the agreements being made aren’t his own.. they’re absolutely coming from higher…

If that’s not the case, it’s almost guaranteed that he’ll be former SECDEF Hegseth in a few weeks..

Trump has proven that he has little tolerance for subordinates that go off script or don’t execute his wishes to a T.

 

[Red Leg]

Don't know if true or not just read that NATO is talking about putting Troops into Greenland. So evidently Europe thinks Trump is serious about Greenland. Kind of scary if Europe is taking an anti American stance.

Europe isn't. The US is.

 

[cmk]

Personally, I’m a former Fed, I think it’s funny as heck.

The whole shebang is like watching a train wreck. I like what President Trump and DOGE are doing. As for the world stage I don’t much care. Fix our problems at home and to blazes with other countries especially Europe.

I’ve got my popcorn and a good seat to watch the fireworks. I make no secret of the fact that I’d like to see 90% of the federal government abolished. Income tax shouldn’t exist and we don’t need to be fighting other people’s wars. Not only that but I think too many folks are making mountains out of molehills. Like a bunch of old ladies.

Wring your hands, cry, moan, gnash your teeth like fools. I know where I’m going and my time here is short and it doesn’t really mean much. I will give unto Cesar that which is Cesar’s. The conditions on earth don’t mean much to me.

What happens inside the US is an internal US affair, and I refrain from commenting on that. I simply don't have the insight, and even if I did, I don't think I should tell you how to run your country. There will be some internal turbulence as government agencies and departments are being reduced/restructured, but in time you will find a new balance. It will pass.

But to abandon the world stage, which is the way the US now seems to be heading (particularly relating to Ukraine and Russia), is wrong on several levels.

It is morally upsetting to hear Trump and his officials blaming the victim of aggression, and at the same time sucking up to the mobster in the Kremlin. That is worse than the appeasement period leading up to WWII. There is a Right and a Wrong here, and Putin IS the bad guy. There can be no question about that - no gray area. For a long time, the US could be counted on to stand up for values of freedom and democracy, but it seems those days are over. By this I don't necessarily mean that the US should send troops and "fight other people's wars", but to at least isolate Russia economically via sanctions etc (as it has done up till now).

On a political level, alienating and upsetting long-term allies mainly in Europe, or neighbouring countries in NA, seems like Putin himself is actually pulling the strings. This includes threatening 'take over Greenland and Canada' and such stuff, as well as condoning the neo-fascist leaders/parties that unfortunately exist in some EU countries. This is a divide-and-conquer approach that should probably be directed towards opponents, rather than friends. But to his mind, we are perhaps no longer friends..

And from an economical point of view, starting a general trade/tariff war is utter stupidity. Nothing good will come of that. Unfortunately, the current US administration seems to be trying very hard to to create an image of itself as an unreliable and deceitful partner.

The only good that that could come out of this is that the EU gets some of it sh*t together, especially related to defence/military issues (we need to be able to defend ourselves, not relying on outside support). This has an economic angle to it as well. Many European countries have happily been buying a lot of US hardware in the past, but that may be subject to change. The know-how of how to build our own stuff is certainly there, it is just a question of political will to get organized.

 

[Aaron N]

I thought this post on the White House twitter/X-account feels rather ominous, especially since Trump more or less made a promise to "rule like a dictator from day one" https://apnews.com/article/trump-ha...ial-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72

I assume that the White house staff would not publish a picture like this without checking with senior Trump advisors before...

View attachment 666690

The truth is often hidden in plain sight.

Could you imagine the shitstorm of frenzy there would be in this thread right now if any other leader posted something like this?

 

[Pheroze]

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[Neophyte]

What happens inside the US is an internal US affair, and I refrain from commenting on that. I simply don't have the insight, and even if I did, I don't think I should tell you how to run your country. There will be some internal turbulence as government agencies and departments are being reduced/restructured, but in time you will find a new balance. It will pass.

But to abandon the world stage, which is the way the US now seems to be heading (particularly relating to Ukraine and Russia), is wrong on several levels.

It is morally upsetting to hear Trump and his officials blaming the victim of aggression, and at the same time sucking up to the mobster in the Kremlin. That is worse than the appeasement period leading up to WWII. There is a Right and a Wrong here, and Putin IS the bad guy. There can be no question about that - no gray area. For a long time, the US could be counted on to stand up for values of freedom and democracy, but it seems those days are over. By this I don't necessarily mean that the US should send troops and "fight other people's wars", but to at least isolate Russia economically via sanctions etc (as it has done up till now).

On a political level, alienating and upsetting long-term allies mainly in Europe, or neighbouring countries in NA, seems like Putin himself is actually pulling the strings. This includes threatening 'take over Greenland and Canada' and such stuff, as well as condoning the neo-fascist leaders/parties that unfortunately exist in some EU countries. This is a divide-and-conquer approach that should probably be directed towards opponents, rather than friends. But to his mind, we are perhaps no longer friends..

And from an economical point of view, starting a general trade/tariff war is utter stupidity. Nothing good will come of that. Unfortunately, the current US administration seems to be trying very hard to to create an image of itself as an unreliable and deceitful partner.

The only good that that could come out of this is that the EU gets some of it sh*t together, especially related to defence/military issues (we need to be able to defend ourselves, not relying on outside support). This has an economic angle to it as well. Many European countries have happily been buying a lot of US hardware in the past, but that may be subject to change. The know-how of how to build our own stuff is certainly there, it is just a question of political will to get organized.

So you are saying it’s OK for other countries to have a tariff on US made goods but not OK for the US to put a tariff on other countries’ goods…………..gotcha.

As for what happens in the rest of the world I don’t care. I’m tired of financing the world party. Y’all can deal with Putin or whoever. We need the world a lot less than you need us and it’s long past time we were treated as such.

I’m an isolationist as far as world politics is concerned. I don’t care what happens in other countries as it’s an internal matter for those countries. Let Ukraine deal with what happens in Ukraine be it Russian invasion or whatever.

 

[gbflyer]

The truth is often hidden in plain sight.

Could you imagine the shitstorm of frenzy there would be in this thread right now if any other leader posted something like this?

They always leave themselves a way out. They are referring to Manhattan, NY if the text is read and the background art work is paid attention to. Obviously that’s his hometown for lack of a better term. He does stupid stuff like this all the time.

He’s got four years. He doesn’t care about getting elected again. He isn’t going to win anyone over or lose any significant support he already has. His true believers are going to follow him over the cliff if necessary. The problem is that we will get another bunch of whining, impotent liberals in congress in 2 years if he doesn’t knock it off.

Narcissist isn’t a strong enough word.

 

[Red Leg]

The Russian media is having a field day amplifying Trump's abysmally inaccurate caricature of Ukraine and its leadership. Here, Soloyov essentially credits Putin with schooling Trump with those talking points.

There are good people in the republican party who know this is a breach of monstrous proportion in our Heritage as a nation championing democracy and liberty - the very things about which Vance was chiding NATO on other subjects. It will be interesting to see if a single one of them has the courage to say enough.

 

[Aaron N]

So you are saying it’s OK for other countries to have a tariff on US made goods but not OK for the US to put a tariff on other countries’ goods…………..gotcha.

As for what happens in the rest of the world I don’t care. I’m tired of financing the world party. Y’all can deal with Putin or whoever. We need the world a lot less than you need us and it’s long past time we were treated as such.

I’m an isolationist as far as world politics is concerned. I don’t care what happens in other countries as it’s an internal matter for those countries. Let Ukraine deal with what happens in Ukraine be it Russian invasion or whatever.

On the flip side of this, apparently India has a 100% tariff on EV’s to protect Tata. And now Trump is crying that it’s unfair that Tesla would be forced to manufacture there to avoid it.

I understand wanting to protect your own interests, but don’t cry foul when other countries use the same playbook.

 

[Russ16]

So you are saying it’s OK for other countries to have a tariff on US made goods but not OK for the US to put a tariff on other countries’ goods…………..gotcha.

As for what happens in the rest of the world I don’t care. I’m tired of financing the world party. Y’all can deal with Putin or whoever. We need the world a lot less than you need us and it’s long past time we were treated as such.

I’m an isolationist as far as world politics is concerned. I don’t care what happens in other countries as it’s an internal matter for those countries. Let Ukraine deal with what happens in Ukraine be it Russian invasion or whatever.

I understand the sentiment.

But part of the reason they need us more than we need them is that we have engaged with the rest of the world.

If we completely withdraw countries will look to China and Russia for resources and alliance. Eventually those countries will have more access to the world economy and resources which will isolate the US and the situation will be reversed.

We need to balance out engagement with the rest of the world and pick the right places to invest and be involved. Buy full blown isolationism will result in just that isolation where we are at the mercy of others for access to their markets and resources.

 

[Neophyte]

I understand the sentiment.

But part of the reason they need us more than we need them is that we have engaged with the rest of the world.

If we completely withdraw countries will look to China and Russia for resources and alliance. Eventually those countries will have more access to the world economy and resources which will isolate the US and the situation will be reversed.

We need to balance out engagement with the rest of the world and pick the right places to invest and be involved. Buy full blown isolationism will result in just that isolation where we are at the mercy of others for access to their markets and resources.

You are presuming that I care to be involved, financially or militarily, on the world stage. I don’t.

 

[Red Leg]

So you are saying it’s OK for other countries to have a tariff on US made goods but not OK for the US to put a tariff on other countries’ goods…………..gotcha.

As for what happens in the rest of the world I don’t care. I’m tired of financing the world party. Y’all can deal with Putin or whoever. We need the world a lot less than you need us and it’s long past time we were treated as such.

I’m an isolationist as far as world politics is concerned. I don’t care what happens in other countries as it’s an internal matter for those countries. Let Ukraine deal with what happens in Ukraine be it Russian invasion or whatever.

Isolationism is fantasy land - far more so than the last century where it failed twice in hurricanes of blood and destruction.

I do not believe any educated person thinks they can survive in a country that is somehow sheltered from the rest of the planet. Setting aside geopolitics, it is our economy that is absolutely dependent upon a worldwide interlocking footprint of trade access - far more now than the twentieth century. That access can only happen where it is not threatened. As far back as 1801, the fledgling United States sent its tiny navy into the Mediterranean to make war on the Barberry Pirates to assure unfettered access to that Sea. Eleven years later we were at war with the largest military power on the planet largely over restrictions to free international trade.

One of our most critical trading partner groups is the EU and Great Britain. Every American's way of life, including yours, would be dramatically changed for the worse were we somehow cut off from those markets - either economically by the EU or militarily by Russia.

Sometimes it is good to apply critical thought using actual facts.

 

[lwaters]

So you are saying it’s OK for other countries to have a tariff on US made goods but not OK for the US to put a tariff on other countries’ goods…………..gotcha.

As for what happens in the rest of the world I don’t care. I’m tired of financing the world party. Y’all can deal with Putin or whoever. We need the world a lot less than you need us and it’s long past time we were treated as such.

I’m an isolationist as far as world politics is concerned. I don’t care what happens in other countries as it’s an internal matter for those countries. Let Ukraine deal with what happens in Ukraine be it Russian invasion or whatever.

I think the US tried the isolation policy after World War 1. It didn't work out so well

 

[Doubleplay]

It is truly mind-boggling to hear what comes out of Trumps mouth. If the situation was not so serious, it would almost be funny.

I'm thinking that part of the reason he is now acting the way he does is simple vanity. The European leaders have not sufficiently been sucking up to him, and he knows he is less well liked than probably any of his predecessors.

So therefore, he does not mind burning a few bridges, alienating the US from its long-term allies, just to 'show them' - like a stubborn child. I have a hard time believing that he has US interests as his first priority - at least when it comes to foreign relations.

America first was a lie!
I was sceptical at first but after what I saw during the last couple of weeks I truly believe Trump is a narcissist (along with Musk) who doesn't care about this country but only about keeping himself in the limelight.
The damage has been done and it will take years to undo it if it can be undone.