In a move that's certain to please his Kremlin benefactor, con man and Russian asset Donald "Tovarich" Trump is planning to cut U.S. forces in Germany by over 25%. The plan was announced without apparent forewarning or coordination with the German government or NATO, a gratuitous slap at our European allies who have watched Trump undermine the alliance from his first day in office.
The plan to remove roughly 9,500 troops comes at a time when Russia has been pushing its influence into its former satellite states of Eastern Europe and disrupting elections and other institutions among our allies. As a sign of their concern, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has stated his hope that the troops would be reassigned to Polish territory, in the face of growing Russian belligerence. The chances that Trump will do that, and offend his Russian ally, are nil.
Trump has pushed the notion that NATO countries aren't "paying their fair share" for defense, as if there's a pot that everyone contributes to, when actually the commitment is for NATO countries to have 2% of their Gross Domestic Product devoted to defense spending by 2024. He's peddled the false concept that NATO nations are supposed to be paying the U.S. for their defense, some disinformation that the Kremlin has likely fed to him at various times.
(photo: The body language tells you who's the boss.)
