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[Politics] Donald Trump, US President
- Thread starter Zeberdi
- Start date
The thing with Trump is that in terms of governance, he has 4 years at the helm as a worst case scenario.This I find genuinly scary - how has Trump gone from being a social media outcast to having these people at his right hand?
Trump ran America in his first term on Twitter now it’s facebook and X that could be running the Presidency
Big Tech Turns Trump Tech? CEOs Queue Up For The Presidential Inauguration
Several top tech leaders are making amends and even donating to his inauguration fund. This shift in dynamics is largely driven by the tech industry's desire to influence policy decisions and avoid regulatory backlash.www.ndtv.com
America allows for the super rich or politically powerful to override the rule of law, in short, you can almost do what you want if you can afford the best lawyers and fill the Supreme Court with sympathetic actors. There is nothing we can do.
As someone who can’t vote and absolutely thinks he is a disgraceful human being, there does come a time to look at what good he can achieve.
He uses bully-boy tactics to get what he wants and always has. But what effects does this bring?
There are arguments to be had that NATO funding from European countries has massively increased due to his threats. There is an argument that Mexico has done a lot to improve border security and control on its side because of the threats and rhetoric of Trump.
In terms of his 4 years in charge, economies outside of the USA could suffer a lot. The recent raises in borrowing for European economies is a good example of the Trump effect (although the billionaire controlled right wing media and the stooges that believe their nonsense would tell you it’s Starmer and Reeves). That’s bad for us.
Looking at the biggest existential crisis we have, climate change, this will surely be accelerated in the short term but it’s no surprise that China has 50% EV cars and will be closer to 75% by the time Trump does.
“As of December 2023, China had the largest stock of highway legal plug-in passenger cars with 20.4 million units, almost half of the global fleet in use.[12] China also dominates the plug-in light commercial vehicle and electric bus deployment, with its stock reaching over 500,000 buses in 2019, 98% of the global stock, and 247,500 electric light commercial vehicles, 65% of the global fleet.” Wiki
This is just one example of where China are massively investing in the future because their government has no interest in non-scientific populist propaganda that gives them power, they are already in complete control and will soon be the world’s superpower. That is bad for us.
But there is one thing where Trump gives me hope. Peace. He can’t rule the world in the way he wants to with war. This is perhaps one area where humanity can benefit from his Presidency. Let’s cross our fingers that he can stop the Ukraine war. That once achievement would mean that not everything that comes out of his term of office is bad.
I agree with your post
, so long as he stops the war in Ukraine in the right way.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Trump wants to do it the wrong way, like making Ukraine lose half of its country!I agree with your post
I know that's what is suggested/rumoured but I'll wait and see the actions (I'm no fan of Trump though!).
Is there any evidence for this?
I agree that peace would make it worthwhile, but there's nothing to suggest he can bring any peace.
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
NATO - News: Secretary General welcomes unprecedented rise in NATO defence spending, 14-Feb.-2024 https://search.app/a33q11oRq7KeLq4o9
And how can that be attributed to Trump? The rise was after he left office. I expect the rise has more to do with Putin invading Ukraine.
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
Well okay, i see your point but it is contestable.
Seagull58
In the Algarve
Not really. The european NATO members saw Putin invade Ukraine, something i doubt they thought would ever happen, and ramped up defence spending almost immediately. Sweden and Finland even threw away their "neutrality" and joined NATO in 2024 and 2023 respectively. Nothing to do with Trump.
- Oct 20, 2022
- 7,711
- Thread starter
- #9,931
I agree.
However don’t underestimate the influence that Trump has continued to exert on global politics since he lost in 2020. He repeatedly said over the years that if he were elected that NATO countries must increase their spending and if he won the Presidency, he would not protect countries who did not meet their financial obligations to NATO - even going so as as to tell the media last year that he would encourage Russia to attack them.
Spending has increased but Trump is now calling for double the current contributions to 5% of the GDP which is dividing Europe (and is very unrealistic!) - the risk is he could reduce America’s contributions or even withdraw unless other Countries contributed more.
Europe splits on Trump’s call to dramatically boost defense spending
New U.S. president aims to more than double the alliance’s spending target.
www.politico.eu
Even out of Office, he continued to have some of the most powerful Republicans on his side in Congress and his base never went away. Partly because of Biden’s falling popularity and partly because of Trump‘s continued media presence, the idea that Trump could win a second term was on the table long before November 2024 (in fact by the autumn of 2023 he had a massive lead over anyone else in the Republican Party) and countries have been making contingency plans in the event of a Trump return for several years.
Trump loyalty was very much behind Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and other House members who held up the aid package last year to Ukraine and tried to force Mike Johnson out of his Speakership role if he didn’t delay the aid bill for Ukraine unless more Mexico border patrols and security measures were piggybacked onto the bill..
How Donald Trump's political career came back from the dead
North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher explores a disgraced White House exit and a comeback for the ages.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Yeah but it looked likely he wouldn't become the president - he could (and should) have been put in prison, then he could have lost the race, so I can't see countries spending more on the off-chance he won, when they could just commit to spending more once he'd one. We, for example, have a new government who could have said that they thought the best policy was to increase spending.
But the important thing is what he does with his power, and how Europe help fight the Russian dictator.
That's utterly crazy. Iceland have been allowed to join a military alliance but without a military ?? Doesn't seem right NATO soldiers should be expected to defend a county that can't contribute to the group protection itself.
I think its common knowledge. No doubt a stern but spinelss response from this shit box of a country will be in order . . . Whilst taking a proper dry humping.
we've gone to war for a lot less. f***ing yank scum.
Hey man, they're protected by ice!
Indeed. Snowballs are a proven weapon to prevent invasion .... although why anyone would want to invade Iceland is beyond me.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
It’s a strategic place and we did have the cod war in the 70s.
- Oct 20, 2022
- 7,711
- Thread starter
- #9,939
I agreed with you and said the increase in spending for NATO came as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - maybe you misread my post or perhaps I wasn’t clear on that?
My point however was that Trump has had influence on US and global events even out of office and by 2023 it was looking a very real possibility he could be reelected (even on Election night, I said Trump could win and it was too close to call but people were just pretty much convinced Harris would win.) - but Europe has been preparing contingencies for a Trump Presidency since at least 12 months prior to the Presidential Elections and earmarking an increase in defence spending would have been part of that.
November 2023: “it was clear that officials in London, Paris, and Brussels were concerned about Trump returning to office, particularly given the numerous ongoing geopolitical issues which the former president’s return may impact. Preparations, or at least the consideration thereof, are clearly underway. But there is certainly a great deal more to be done given the outsized impact Trump’s presidency may have. European preparations for a return of Trump should, additionally and perhaps ironically, be beneficial even if Biden succeeds in retaining the Oval Office.”
“The anticipated return of Trumpian unpredictability, combined with the potential improved efficiency of Trump 2.0, means allies and partners should be preparing for his re-election now. For European powers, this means paying greater attention to, and allocating greater resources for, domestic and continental defence. If America’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and European security is in doubt, as preliminary reports from the Trump camp have suggested, then continental powers will need to increase their spending and preparation now to both support Ukraine and deter Russia”
The unintended benefits of preparing for a Trump presidency
Joshua Huminski investigates the beneficial nature of preparing now for a potential return of Donald Trump, whether he wins or not
www.geostrategy.org.uk
I saw that you said you agree. You also added that Trump has had influence since 2020, and I'm just questioning how much that's affected NATO spending. Let's not get hung up on exactly how much.