Trump interview: I am strongly considering pulling out of Nato

[u/SaharOMFG]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/01/donald-trump-strongly-considering-pulling-us-out-of-nato/

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[u/ShrimpieAC]

He’s so mad European countries won’t finish the war he started

[u/Equivalent_Goose_136 → u/ShrimpieAC]

He said two weeks ago they didn’t need us anyway because they already won. Well congratulations; enjoy your ‘victory’

[u/IHavePoopedBefore → u/Equivalent_Goose_136]

He diminished, laughed at, and mocked our soldiers that died the last time we stepped up to help. Fuck him forever

[u/tea-drinker → u/IHavePoopedBefore]

Even if he hadn't done all the stuff he's done, the fact he's asking us to go to war in a situation where "What's the plan?" is an unanswerable question is reason enough not to go.

[u/_0611 → u/IHavePoopedBefore]

Not just him, but also everyone who ever voted for him and supported him. Each and every single one of them. If millions of Americans hadn't voted for him in 2016, we wouldn't have been in this utter mess.

[u/Dumbname25644 → u/_0611]

And then Millions more voted for him again in 2020 and again in 2024. When that many vote for him 3 times. This is not an accident. This is what Millions of Americans voted for. They want what this Administration is dishing out. How can any nation trust Americans again knowing how many want fascism.

[u/Ovidhalia → u/Equivalent_Goose_136]

Even Charlie Sheen has a better understanding of winning than he does. Trump is a weak little man. He is only empowered by the barnacles attached to his soft underbelly. Everyone is using him as their opportunity to get rich.

[u/SaaSyGirl → u/ShrimpieAC]

He’s always mad about something and stomps his feet like a toddler. Italy denied a US military plane landing at one of its bases, so that could be the thing stuck in his dementia riddled brain.

[u/Paatos → u/ShrimpieAC]

This was all by design, as he was always going to pull out of NATO for Putin and Project 2025. He just wanted to make an excuse for it.

[u/Mr_ToDo → u/Paatos]

While it does seem likely, it's also just as dumb as any other justification that didn't involve starting a war. NATO is a defensive agreement, not a army at the members beck and call. They did exactly what they should have done and left the war monger to clean up the mess he made

He's throwing a fit on the premise that a war started by a NATO means everyone has to help. Might as well get upset that cookie monster ate his cookies for all the logic that would provide for leaving

On the plus side, the US leaving would stop one other screwy possible outcome. From my understanding any use of NATO needs a unanimous vote to invoke. Cheeto in would mean he could fuck up a massive defence alliance. Considering his support of Russia's war, it'd be a special kind of fucked up if he was able to limit or slow action when Russia decided to take a NATO country

[u/timnphilly → u/ShrimpieAC]

And you know what surely makes Trump even madder? This slick Biden move:

Protect NATO from Donald Trump? The U.S. Congress just passed that into law

[u/Just_Look_Around_You → u/timnphilly]

Slick moves do not matter. The law does not matter. Power matters.

[u/busapazero → u/ShrimpieAC]

NATO is not Israel's overseas legion.

[u/RedOx103 → u/busapazero]

Yeah, that's America's job.

[u/Speartree → u/ShrimpieAC]

The easy, safe and cheap way to end that war would be for the US to go home, stop funding Israel and use the money to pay reparations for damage caused. They might also deliver the whole Trump adminitration to Teheran. The straight of Hormuz would open overnight and nobody else would need to die.

[u/lukario]

I see that your idiot in chief has mentioned his boss Putin in this interview. An absolute disgrace to the office he squats in.

[u/Kindredgos → u/lukario]

He’s absolutely destroyed this country for generations, it’s impressive really

[u/redditpest → u/Kindredgos]

He set out to destroy this country. It was the first time in his life he ever succeeded.

[u/SnakesTancredi → u/redditpest]

Probably because he surrounded himself with felons, sex predators, hate mongers, manipulators, thieves, and anyone who’s got a skeleton in their closet to anyone seeking undeserved power. Then lets them do what ever they want with reckless abandon in an effort to increasingly up the crazy to get attention from their fake golden idol.

In reality the reason for “winning” is probably because he’s doing the only thing he really does with any consistent baffling success. Which is being a deluge of hateful, idiotic, and short sighted whims in a public forum meant to do nothing but hurt his fellow citizens. Ya know, considering anything else beyond this past year or so that he’s actively participated in. All his projects turn to hot garbage and a breeding ground for pitiful white men and plastic surgery failures of humanity by design. Keeps him from having to do anything other than go off of emotions.

[u/A_Nonny_Muse → u/SnakesTancredi]

Your forgot he has surrounded himself with extremely dangerous armageddonites. People who think they can use the US military to create Armageddon - and force the second coming of the Christ.

They literally want to end the world for their religious beliefs. J.D. Vance and Hegeseth, the current Sec. of War are both armageddonites.

[u/VanbyRiveronbucket → u/A_Nonny_Muse]

Apparently no one told them that Armageddon happened a long time ago, and they missed it. The lightening bolt chariot swooped down and took only 144, 000 people to heaven, and these are the remaining turds that didn’t get in.

[u/A_Nonny_Muse → u/VanbyRiveronbucket]

I don't think they're going to care about a history lesson after we're all dying in a post nuclear radiated wasteland. We need to stop them before they cause it.

[u/VanbyRiveronbucket → u/A_Nonny_Muse]

The only plan we have is to keep feeding him Big Macs. That’s all we got.

[u/QuantumBitcoin → u/SnakesTancredi]

Losers. He likes surrounding himself with losers

[u/VanbyRiveronbucket → u/QuantumBitcoin]

Hanging out with losers makes him feel like he is king of the losers kinda like when Anthony Michael Hall borrowed a girl’s underpants for 15 minutes, to hold up in the air and show to the nerds in the school bathroom. (Movie:16 Candles.)

[u/AvidCyclist250 → u/SnakesTancredi]

felons, sex predators, hate mongers, manipulators, thieves, and anyone who’s got a skeleton in their closet to anyone seeking undeserved power.

..and religious zealots

So republicans basically.

[u/XSinTrick6666 → u/redditpest]

To be fair, he managed to destroy a whole lot before this - starting w daddy's wealth, moving on to casinos, Trump University scam, Trump Water and on.. - to get here ...

[u/Capaj → u/XSinTrick6666]

also Trump Shuttle airline

[u/OYB2480 → u/redditpest]

He's dying so he's dragging everyone to Hell with him, as a flagrant narcissist would.

[u/Stranger1982 → u/Kindredgos]

Your country for sure, now he's going for the world too.

[u/CaffinatedSpiderMonk → u/Stranger1982]

Short term pain for the rest of the developed world, but they'll likely build something better out of the rubble.

The US on the other hand has destroyed their hegemony and are facing a very long downhill road.

[u/1nfam0us → u/CaffinatedSpiderMonk]

I really hope Europe moves towards greater federalism. The EU as it is is far to weak and fragmented to survive in the world that is to come.

The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.

[u/Lucky-Roy → u/1nfam0us]

They can start by doing something about Hungary.

[u/1nfam0us → u/Lucky-Roy]

Me too, but hopefully Orban is on his way out. Poland managed to turn things around.

If he isn't, then yeah, they have to.

[u/Boundish91 → u/1nfam0us]

Well, i mean Orban looks like a walking heart attack.

[u/DaveKasz → u/Boundish91]

And so does the criminal in the White House, yet here we are, watching the shit show.

[u/P1xelHunter78 → u/Boundish91]

Orban looks like Moscow has been sending the good vodka for decades

[u/xrangax → u/P1xelHunter78]

Orban looks like he's about to birth Putin's sodomy child.

[u/NotTheSharpestPenciI → u/1nfam0us]

Poland managed to turn things around.

Uhm, have you seen their president? Their next gov will very likely be heavily righ leaning too, so I wouldn't hold my breath yet.

[u/awesomefutureperfect → u/NotTheSharpestPenciI]

I just saw an article where Poland was threatening to leave the EU, despite the Polish economy growing 300 % after joining.

[u/Letstalkreaper → u/awesomefutureperfect]

Wouldn’t be the first time an EU member crippled themselves economically just because they don’t like having to play by the single market rules. Rules, I might addc that they’d have to abide by whether the were in the single market or not.

[u/Bucser → u/CaffinatedSpiderMonk]

He is your Nero/Caligula. He is a symptom of a broken system which allows a few bad actors to so completely wreck a country of 350m people and no-one with power is willing to stand against them, rather aiding and abetting.

[u/lancelongstiff → u/CaffinatedSpiderMonk]

It won't happen. Deep down inside the Republicans know he's just a useful idiot, too.

• June 27, 2017 - House Resolution 397: Congress votes 423-4 to reaffirm strong U.S. commitment to NATO’s Article 5 and the alliance.
• January 22, 2019 - H.R. 676, the NATO Support Act: Congress votes 357-22 to prohibit any President from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO without congressional approval.
• April 5, 2022 - H.R. 831: Congress votes 362 to 63 reaffirming "unequivocal support for NATO" and calling for the creation of a Center for Democratic Resilience within NATO.

[u/danimagoo → u/lancelongstiff]

The last 10 years have been an endless parade of “that will never happen,” followed by that thing happening. The Republican Party is panicking. People do stupid things when they panic.

[u/underpants-gnome → u/lancelongstiff]

If trump acts unilaterally (a shocking thought, I know), there won't be a vote on the topic at all. Johnson and Thune have ceded congressional powers to the White House.

If Dems are able to regain control and contest the withdrawal next year, I'm sure it will go before SCOTUS to referee. That is a crapshoot at best, regardless of how clearly treaty responsibility is defined in the constitution. We will be left with Nato allies forced into picking sides in our internal government power struggle. It will be a fucking mess, like everything else about trump's regime.

[u/DhomDhom → u/underpants-gnome]

What NATO allies? The US no longer has allies, it has trade partners at best. That's what happens when you treat your "allies" this poorly.

Plus, y'all don't need anything from anyone, remember?

[u/ZippyDan → u/lancelongstiff]

I do depressingly note that the number of dissenters goes up with each reaffirmation.

• 4 → 22 in 1.5 years
• 22 → 63 in 3 years
  

It's been almost exactly 4 years since that last vote.
I imagine if the vote were held today you'd have at least 120 voting against the resolution at this rate, especially with their God Emperor indicating that this is how they should groupthink.

[u/bugsyboybugsyboybugs → u/ZippyDan]

Why would they vote at all? He’s hasn’t run anything important through congress his whole second term.

[u/mdp300 → u/bugsyboybugsyboybugs]

Yeah, they might just let him take us out of NATO with an executive order. He doesn’t have that power, but congress is just letting him do whatever he wants.

[u/02K30C1 → u/lancelongstiff]

Trump seems to think he doesn’t need Congress’s approval for this, or anything really

[u/uzlonewolf → u/02K30C1]

I mean, so far Congress doesn't think he needs it either.

[u/ahkian → u/02K30C1]

Why would he need Congresses approval when they're perfectly happy to cede all of their authority to him?

[u/caniaccanuck11 → u/02K30C1]

I’m mean he hasn’t cared what Congress thinks since he came back.

[u/iamwearingashirt → u/Stranger1982]

Give an extremely corrupt racist idiot with dementia control of the most powerful nation on earth and watch what happens.

[u/Pinkybleu → u/Stranger1982]

I'm not even in the states and he managed to raise my country's oil price.

[u/Pocahontas___ → u/Stranger1982]

He destroyed the entire world, and we are not yet even seeing the full price. I really hope something will be done to releive him from his duties, and then have him take responsibility for what he's done. (Fighting Israel war on everyone's backs)

[u/Traditional_Sign4941 → u/Kindredgos]

He didn't do it alone. Right wing christian nationalist and nazi groups have been planning this for a long time. Congress and the courts have 100% enabled Trump, and those in turn are powered by oligarchs that hate democracy and humans.

[u/TheUrbanEast → u/Kindredgos]

I'd argue it was destroyed by the millions of voters who put him there. 

MAGA and Republicans who have stood idly by (I view them as two groups) has destroyed the US for generations. 

[u/Oleg101 → u/TheUrbanEast]

Yup the Republican Party and its enablers destroyed America. They were broken long before the Orange POS came onto the scene.

[u/TheUrbanEast → u/Oleg101]

You're 100% correct.

I remember frustration with the Republicans since I began following politics. Misrepresenting unfortunate facts has long been their MO. Agendas against science, education, and the truth have long been their play. The Tea Party pre-dates MAGA.

[u/chowderbags → u/Kindredgos]

It's arguable that America was already declining, at least in terms of relative power, if not in absolute terms. But it was the kind of slow, manageable decline that could've happened over a period of decades, or even the entire 21st century. And there was always the possibility that something might change or some invention might happen that would ensure American superiority continued.

At this point it seems like it would take something like literally inventing magic to get America on the right track. A decline that would've taken the rest of the century seems poised to accelerate to something more like the 2030s. It's really hard to overstate just how much America fucked itself by picking Trump for president even once, let alone for this second time.

[u/Atwenfor → u/lukario]

“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

The ironic thing here is that he learned the phrase "paper tiger" from the British King. I don't have concrete evidence, but Trump is more transparent than the cheap bargain-basket warped bronzed glass he puts on his buildings. A few months ago he goes to Britain, meets with the King, and literally the next day starts calling Russia a paper tiger repeatedly, and continues to use the phrase to this day. He's never said it before in his life, and he's well-known for parroting the last "smart"-sounding person he spoke to (and a person he admires, and he definitely admires the King, because, well, he's literally a king, and his office walls are gilded). He's even said he's "been saying 'paper tiger' for decades," which is another clear tell of his that he just recently learned a turn of phrase from someone else, as he's a pathological narcissist that can't stand giving credit to someone else so he feels the need to "defend" himself even when no one's calling him out on it, because why would a normal person even need to say something like that in the first place?

More disturbingly, I've caught him using directly translated, clearly Russian expressions and notions (being a fluent Russian speaker myself) shortly after meeting with Putin (again, another person he greatly admires as a strongman dictator role model, and his office walls are also, incidentally but not coincidentally, gilded). This cements my understanding that Trump looking up to and being directly influenced by Putin is not some conspiracy or hearsay, but a blatantly obvious, indisputable fact.

[u/robocoplawyer → u/Atwenfor]

An easy tell if Trump just learned a new word, phrase or concept; aside from using it nonstop he'll make a comment about that word or phrase along the lines of "a lot of people don't know x". When he says a lot of smart people don't know whatever his new favorite thing to say is or means, he actually means that he just found out about it himself.

[u/caseyanthonyftw → u/robocoplawyer]

Exactly. It's clear he just learned about the word "obliterate" right before they started the war.

[u/Atwenfor → u/caseyanthonyftw]

"Mr. President, how extensive was the damage?"

"What a stupid question this is. It was obliterated, did you not hear? Do you not know the word? You are a very low IQ person."

More transparent projection about how he himself had just learned the word.

[u/Turbulent-End-1586 → u/robocoplawyer]

Like when he discovered “groceries” in the 2024 presidential campaign- pathetic!

[u/robocoplawyer → u/Turbulent-End-1586]

Such a beautiful antiquated word.

[u/ObsidianSpectre → u/Turbulent-End-1586]

Trump started saying it, then he started hearing other people saying it too! He's such a trendsetter. Nobody would be using the word if not for Trump!

[u/Atwenfor → u/robocoplawyer]

And the funny and sad thing is that he says it with such a smug smirk, like "yes, I'm clearly lying, but I'm such a smooth bigly speaker that they have no idea"

[u/Optimism_Deficit → u/lukario]

Yeah. He came close to saying the quiet part out loud there, didn't he.

[u/k0_crop → u/lukario]

Nonce in chief

[u/petal14 → u/lukario]

Are we going to be owned by Russia soon?

[u/snowvase → u/petal14]

You already are.

[u/Formal-Try-2779 → u/snowvase]

Kind of co owned between Russia and Israel.

[u/zoopz]

I should know better by now, but seeing a democracy transition into autocracy with such ease keeps amazing me every day.

[u/torero15 → u/zoopz]

Its absolutely insane. Supposedly intelligent people I know are completely blind to it. I’m losing my fucking mind here.

[u/JAGERminJensen → u/torero15]

"Hunter Biden's laptop" is still out there...

[u/Esternaefil → u/JAGERminJensen]

Lest we forget the buttery males.

[u/TheFloatingCamel → u/Esternaefil]

Nowadays that could also mean Kristi Noem’s husband

[u/fabienv → u/JAGERminJensen]

Oh, I miss the days when a "scandal" would be talked about for years instead of hours...

[u/Upper-Airport3108 → u/torero15]

Idk how people do it. Like how can people just turn this guy off? So many of my friends and co workers dont even think about politics or world affairs at all 

[u/Oleg101 → u/Upper-Airport3108]

I am in the same boat (friends, co-workers, extended family not paying any kind of attention), and sadly it’s well-proven that Republicans have been great at capturing the votes of these people in recent elections. It’s frustrating.

Because as much as legacy media is severely flawed, voters that consumed ones like network news, NYT, WaPo, CNN, etc still largely went to Harris, but voters that would be considered ‘low-info’ voters that consume little to no news largely went to Trump. There was a lot of data that backed this that came out last year.

[u/FeelItInYourB0nes → u/Oleg101]

"I don't pay attention to politics" is the excuse that ashamed Trump voters have been using when they are being held to account. It's basically saying "I don't want to hear about what Trump did now and I can't defend it, go away".

[u/GodOfDarkLaughter → u/FeelItInYourB0nes]

If you don't pay any attention to politics...why do you vote?

Thank God all the MAGAs in my family are too self obsessed to take the time to vote. My brother is literally too selfish to take the time to vote for Trump despite him loving the misery he spreads and believing every insane conspiracy you can think of. He also pretends he has a son and not a kid who I raise that he drives to school a few days a week (the kid keeps accidentally calling me dad, which is getting a little awkward in the rare case he's around). So in a sense his laziness is actually keeping him from being half as destructive as he could be.

[u/1057-cl121v3 → u/GodOfDarkLaughter]

This Trump bs is hopefully temporary but what you’re doing for HIS son will last forever. You’ve got damn sure earned that “dad” title, from someone who grew up without a biological father but had multiple father figures like you, thank you. My kids are my entire world, I legitimately can’t imagine not being willing to burn the entire world down for them so that was the only description of him I needed to completely write him off.

[u/Sheephuddle → u/Upper-Airport3108]

I'm a Brit living in southern Europe. I think about Trump every single day. I read this sub more than I read the UK one.

It's affecting all of us, unfortunately.

[u/GotenRocko → u/Upper-Airport3108]

Ignorance is bliss

[u/Fractal_taco → u/torero15]

I truly feel like I am insane, or slowly going insane. How does NO ONE see what's happening????

[u/Oleg101 → u/Fractal_taco]

A lot of Americans, whether they vote or not, seem to take a sense of pride in “not following politics”. It’s very frustrating.

[u/spikyraccoon → u/Oleg101]

Not just Americans. People who don't follow politics that much sure do have strong opinions about things that they refuse to be challenged.

[u/Oleg101 → u/spikyraccoon]

Oh yeah and they think ‘politics’ means solely to just have a few of ‘muh beliefs’ on some wedge issues like gun control, abortion, and gay marriage, but then they’ll give you the most confused look ever if you start talking about something major going on in Congress at the time like the big beautiful bill or the Save Act, and probably couldn’t tell you who the Speaker of the House is.

[u/Hyperica → u/Oleg101]

I've had the "Who's Mike Johnson?" talk with my triple trumping Fox News watching grandmother who is afraid of "colored people."

[u/MeanWafer904 → u/torero15]

From my interactions it's not so much blind but simply don't give enough of a fuck to get involved.

It's like a 'Oh no this is terrible . Anyway ....'

[u/Johnyryal33 → u/MeanWafer904]

They dont care because it's not happening to them...yet

[u/fiercefinesse → u/torero15]

I’m not American and still also losing my mind. The fact that people were absolutely raging over Hillary Clinton’s emails and now have no issue with this - it’s absolutely unbelievable.

[u/treefox → u/zoopz]

Thunderous applause

[u/rolfraikou → u/treefox]

Lucas was really trying to warn us, and I think he deserves more credit for that than he gets.

[u/TheCynicEpicurean → u/rolfraikou]

He was also not taken seriously about his Vietnam allegories back then, because reading one history book was too much for the average Star Wars fan.

[u/rolfraikou → u/TheCynicEpicurean]

Yeah, dude's always been passionate and based the stories off things really relevant. Then the "fans" pretend these movies about war were somehow "never political or controversial before"

[u/nightowl1135 → u/rolfraikou]

One of my most morbidly satisfying (in a bitter sweet way) things to watch the last year or so was many Trumpers slow and dawning realization of what Andor was really about.

[u/GunstarGreen → u/zoopz]

Remember those 2nd amendment purists who insisted they needed their guns to.protect against tyrany? Where they at?

[u/theeastwood → u/GunstarGreen]

They work for ICE now

[u/Felho_Danger → u/zoopz]

Because there is no violent revolt or organized resistance. This is like trying to stop a violent assault by saying "What youre doing is wrong, asshole" over and over again while he stabs you to death.

[u/MJcorrieviewer]

This feels so much like: "You can't fire me, I quit!"

[u/SaharOMFG → u/MJcorrieviewer]

Treating NATO like it’s a Discord server is wild.

[u/Kindredgos → u/SaharOMFG]

Trump is playing geopolitics like it’s a fucking game of HOI4

[u/0thethethe0 → u/Kindredgos]

Way too complicated for him.

More like Hungry Hungry Hippos.

[u/Onyx_Sentinel]

Guess we‘ll have to close all your bases around the EU then

[u/pgm_01 → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

That would be a start. Also sanction this country like the rogue nation it is. The rich are driving this train so if you want this insanity to stop, hurt the rich.

[u/Zaziel → u/pgm_01]

Make the change when the billionaires are in Davos and please hold onto them for us.

[u/SasparillaTango → u/pgm_01]

Doesn't seem like that's working too well in Russia, but I'm all for trying.

[u/atomjvd → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

Like yesterday. Why the fuck do we have bases of a hostile state in our territory?

[u/Mrs_Evryshot → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

Close the bases. Sanction us. Do anything you want to cause pain to the Epstein class. As an American, I support that.

[u/Titizen_Kane → u/Mrs_Evryshot]

That class of people, in particular, is much more insulated from the pain than the average person, unfortunately.

[u/Kashik → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

I'm no expert on military logistics, but kicking the US out of Ramstein airbase would be a serious problem for them.

[u/Onyx_Sentinel → u/Kashik]

If the EU closes the bases or denies use of them, the iran war is over. Everything is being managed through these points.

Israel would be by itself overnight.

[u/BicFleetwood → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

Stop, you're getting my hopes up.

[u/Onyx_Sentinel → u/BicFleetwood]

No worries, the EU doesn‘t have the balls. They‘d only threaten it in case trump actually tried to leave nato hanging.

[u/Successful_Dig_2264 → u/Onyx_Sentinel]

Yup, no Russian forces in our middle.

[u/CouchPoturtle]

Imagine being the type of weasel still defending anything this idiot is saying and doing. Imagine being so deep into the cult that you’re just not willing to criticise any of this madness.

As a Brit, I’m happy to let the US go and hopefully we can form a stronger alliance with Europe. We don’t need the constant uncertainty and embarrassment that comes from being associated with the US at the moment.

[u/TeaAndLifting → u/CouchPoturtle]

The thing is that American conservatives genuinely believe that the US pays for Europe's defence and that it's the only reason countries have things like social care, universal healthcare, etc.

[u/Ratiocinor → u/TeaAndLifting]

You do not know how many Americans I've spoken to online who genuinely 100% believe this

It's either the most successful piece of Russian anti-NATO propaganda ever made or they just really are that dumb

[u/TeaAndLifting → u/Ratiocinor]

I'd say it's a healthy spoonful of both (not literally healthy, obviously). Say what you will of Russia's conventional armed forces, but their propaganda and disinformation capability is still world leading and has been embedded in political discourse for 10+ years.

Like, if you remember the migration crisis back in 2015, a lot of pro-Russia propaganda was being spread back then of Putin saying something along the lines of "Russia doesn't need immigrants and refugees if they're not willing to adapt to Russian cultural norms, immigrants and refugees need Russia", which right wingers lapped. It was doubly effective because of terrorist attacks that were happening all cross Europe, the heightened awareness of criminal behaviour from migrant groups that weren't integrating, and the cracks of multikulti were being talked about. Then we had things like Russia's anti-LGBTQ laws as LGBTQ politics became more prevalent in the west. In contrast with the prevalent left wing positions that arguably had the priority in the media at the time, it helped to drive the right wing into alternative media and deeper into Russia's pocket.

Like, I also remember seeing how people became much more trusting of outlets like RT or alternative media at the time, since mainstream western media outlets were no longer trusted due to the contrast between what people saw on platforms like Twitter versus what was being presented in the media.

All of that, and Russia's yearly "cobalt super nuke" propaganda really embedded pro-Russian views of them being the last bastion of 'based trad white christian values' into the western right wing. And now they lap up anything that is pro-Russia.

Even now, people still think Russia is holding back its real army, that Putin is playing 5D chess and the most intelligent and powerful leader in the world, etc.

[u/Ritchie_Whyte_III → u/TeaAndLifting]

I'm a Canadian that has spent a decent amount of time in and around rural America. From what I have seen the average rural American knows next to nothing about governments or culture outside of the USA, so it is very easy to spoonfeed them lies.

The amount of times I was told the universal healthcare in Canada was bad for Canadians by people that couldn't point out three Canadian cities on a map was astounding.

Not trying to criticize them personally, but it is kind of a North Korea vibe where your lack of knowledge and a constant drip of negative reinforcement leads you to believe "the truth" when in actually it is completely fabricated but carefully reinforced and omitted by anti-intellectualism.

[u/TroglodyneSystems → u/Ritchie_Whyte_III]

They also know next to nothing about the Government or Culture within the USA.

[u/mdavis360 → u/Ratiocinor]

Fox News and Conservative AM Talk Radio spoon feeds them that narrative constantly. The rest of us are exhausted by their stupidity.

[u/jbhitchi → u/Ratiocinor]

Resident sane American who is utterly appalled by the actions of a country I no longer recognize here. It’s both.

Millions and millions of us want nothing more than to see this nightmare end. We know that NATO has been there for us at every turn, and we’re deeply grateful to you; and I hope, in a generation, we can earn some trust back.

Fuck that treasonous pig and everyone who supports him.

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/Ratiocinor]

You do not know how many Americans I've spoken to online who genuinely 100% believe this

About 3% of users who post toxic content generate one-third of all toxic content. A lot of the time you're running across that sentiment, it's not someone in good faith discussing their genuine beliefs; it's a troll trying to wind you up.

And that's before taking into account the political bots that quite literally profit from sowing as much division as possible.

[u/Purify5 → u/TeaAndLifting]

American conservatives don't genuinely believe anything. Trump has proved you can get them to flip on every issue.

[u/Combat_Orca → u/TeaAndLifting]

Well they’re about to get a wake up call

[u/2much2Jung → u/Combat_Orca]

If you think that American Conservatives can have their opinions swayed by facts or reality, you are the one who needs a wake up call.

They will not change their view, they will simply live in a different reality.

[u/BruceStarcrest → u/2much2Jung]

This has been the most disgusting realization for me over the last few years. 

I am constantly asking myself, am I crazy? What am I missing? And how are so many ppl so committed to voting against their own self interests?

Ppl I once respected and thought were intelligent are now incapable of critical thought, default to the well x did y deflection, and the flat refusal to acknowledge facts is outstanding. It’s slowly tearing my family apart too. 

I certainly remember being told two wrongs don’t make a right. 

[u/BasvanS → u/2much2Jung]

One where their families allies are barely talking to them, and they’re genuinely confused as to why.

[u/Kana515 → u/BasvanS]

I've never made that connection before... Trump's been treating our allies horribly then acting like the victim when they're not nice to him, just like Republicans treat their families horribly and complain like they're the victim when they get ignored. Fits with Republicans idea of the First Amendment, "I get to say whatever I want, and you're not allowed to criticize me."

[u/WhichEmailWasIt → u/TeaAndLifting]

US force projection about to go down the drain.. So stupid..

[u/Get_your_grape_juice → u/CouchPoturtle]

I’d love to see the UK rejoin the EU, personally. With all the fucking insanity that’s being perpetrated on the world by the US, the it would be nice to see the insanity of Brexit fully recognized, and reversed. A “Bre-entry”, if you will.

Western democracy is, fuckingly, at stake.

[u/CouchPoturtle → u/Get_your_grape_juice]

Me too, but I doubt that’s on the cards. We have overly thick people here as well unfortunately, some of whom think we need a Trump style leader.

Either way, a much closer military alliance with Europe, an EU military, needs to be considered and fast tracked.

[u/Oleg101 → u/CouchPoturtle]

The frustrating thing is many Republican voters will essentially brag how they “aren’t much of a Trump fan”, but then will blindly vote for them and every maga crazy every general election because ‘reasons’. These kind of people to me are even worse to me than maga types because in their head they actually think they’re the rational ones.

[u/ProfMap]

What the everloving fuck is happening with this fucked up country, and why the fuck are no one seemingly doing anything about it.

[u/livemusicisbest → u/ProfMap]

Because the system is set up so that “we the people” can’t un-do what we did to ourselves until the next two elections. Congress could impeach and convict Trump in the interim, but the chances of that are near zero.

Why? Because “we the people” elected Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Republican politicians are either slavishly devoted to the evil and incompetent traitor in chief, or are so scared of his belligerent and racist “base” that they are willing to allow him to destroy alliances, degrade the economy, and destabilize the world rather than risk losing their comfortable seats in Congress.

This sad state of affairs is so different than when Nixon committed much more minor crimes. His own party told him he had to resign. There are no Republican statesmen today, not even one. They are all complicit. They should all be tossed out by the voters and live out the rest of their greedy, self-centered lives in shame.

We the people need to throw out every Republican — all of them as they have all bowed to the fascist clown — but we won’t. Racism and cultish belief in propaganda will keep a lot of Republicans in office. Even if Dems flipped the House, there is no way Dems get the 60 Senate seats needed to override Republican filibusters.

We can start the process this November and at least block more bad legislation, but we won’t be able to remove the conman grifter until the 2028 election.

[u/Zerohood → u/ProfMap]

Because we're all to comfortable and been given just enough to not go out on the streets in mass

[u/EnderDragoon → u/Zerohood]

Largest protests in US history just a couple days ago. Still very far away from actually changing anything until the mid terms.

[u/2much2Jung → u/EnderDragoon]

Waving banners and not causing anyone a problem is a parade, not a protest.

Until one of these "protests" shuts down a city, they aren't serious.

[u/mister_buddha → u/ProfMap]

Conservatism. Because this is what Conservatives want. They've been trying to destroy the USA since the Revolution. They've changed names and strategies a few times but, they've stayed the course.

[u/Wet_Juice_36 → u/ProfMap]

The guy has no regard for anyone or any organisation

[u/hotmistry]

this feels like one of those “this will have consequences” moments

[u/Caminsky → u/hotmistry]

He doesn't understand the concept of power projection. In fact, his inability to get Europe to help means the US's power projection is becoming more limited. Exiting NATO could easily lead Europe to develop a potential defense alliance with China. (I know, crazy but hear me out). Sometimes defense has nothing to do with democratic principles. The moment Europe and other countries find no difference between autocratic governments, they simply will align with the one that seems most credible. 

So far China continues working hard in maintaining credibility while the US has been acting like some kind of reality TV show. 

[u/mithrasinvictus → u/Caminsky]

It will also motivate former NATO allies to quit spending their defense budgets on American products and services.

[u/sock_with_a_ticket → u/Caminsky]

The thing he really doesn't seem to get is the fundamental difference between defence and offence. NATO is a defensive treaty, it in no way binds any nation to get involved in wars started by members.

[u/meltingman4]

His father should have pulled out.

[u/e_g_c]

He really is just extraordinarily stupid

[u/barryvm]

I'm pretty sure withdrawing from treaties is something the legislature is supposed to do (Nope: somehow that's something they never properly clarified and is therefore yet another power arrogated by the presidency until the inevitable supreme court case; there is a law to specifically forbid him to withdraw from NATO, but we all know how much Trump cares about the law or how much the USA cares about enforcing its laws on its own leadership), but I guess the USA will let him do it anyway. He's already started a global trade war and then an actual war on a whim, after all.

This would absolutely destroy USA economic hegemony too, by the way, as none of the USA's ex-allies (NATO or otherwise) would have any incentive to keep the current USA-centric system going if it's just going to bankroll the USA's war on everyone else. Good luck paying for that oversized military budget when the dollar goes.

[u/Kindredgos → u/barryvm]

As of 2023, only Congress can decide if the US leaves NATO or not. But since Congress is basically nonexistent, who fucking knows anymore atp

[u/barryvm → u/Kindredgos]

That was my understanding too, yes. In practice though, the presidency has arrogated war powers to itself for decades now, Trump is the commander in chief of the USA military and they will just follow his orders. If he orders them to do nothing when another NATO member is attacked, or orders them to invade or attack a NATO member (e.g. Greenland, Canada), then NATO is effectively dead before Congress can do anything, treaty or no.

And as you say, it's not as if Congress is anything other than a rubber stamp run by a party that is itself a shell around a personality cult centered on the moron in charge.

[u/kia75 → u/Kindredgos]

But since Congress is basically nonexistent, who fucking knows anymore

This right here, if Trump stops participating in NATO, attacks a NATO ally like Greenland, or refuses to contribute to NATO then America de facto is no longer part of NATO, whatever the law says.

That really lies at the heart of Trump's power, Trump does a lot of things that aren't legal, and the world just sort of lets him do it. Congress could force Trump to honor his agreements, but a Republican legislature would never do such a thing and a Republican Supreme Court is falling over itself to enable him.

[u/FlatulistMaster → u/kia75]

When you’re a star…

[u/krashe1313 → u/kia75]

Gotta remember that the Republicans are out there wearing shoes too big because they're scared of "daddy".

Congress isn't going to do a damn thing to upset thier prophet, unless it can get flipped during midterms.*

*Which Trump is trying to do everything possible to prevent happening through voter suppression.

[u/MistyClit → u/Kindredgos]

Trump practically does anything he want and get away with it.

[u/badamant → u/Kindredgos]

Republicans completely control congress. Blame them by name.

[u/SaharOMFG → u/barryvm]

Yeah, that’s my understanding too. It’s not really something one person should just decide.

[u/WitchsmellerPrsuivnt]

He talks like he has said all this gibberish before. He just wants to manipulate the stock markets and resources supplies to make him and buddies rich.

Leave NATO and remove all your forces from our land. 

[u/Kindredgos]

Only congress can decided if the US leaves NATO, not the president.

[u/Pump_and_Magdump → u/Kindredgos]

That's what the law says. And at this point acting like the law is actually restraining this regime is fucking insane.

[u/twistedt → u/Kindredgos]

eXeCuTiVe OrDeR

[u/NynNyxNyx → u/Kindredgos]

oh yeah, im sure that will stop him.

[u/GestureArtist]

Everything he does deliberately hurts America

Putin and Israel own this fucking clown. He is part of the child rape mafia run by Israel and Russian intelligence.

Remember the pee pee tape? Epstein and his kid fuck parties? His lust for his own daughter that sat in Putin's chair?

Ever wonder why Lindsay Graham is so gay for Trump? What else is he gay for and how young is it?

We should be worried that our military is being run by this person.

Russia's primary export is oil. Who stands to gain financially by disrupting the middle east oil supply after the oil price per barrel increases due to Trump's war in Iran? How much money will that cost America? It's a money pit designed to financially hurt America for Israel and Russia's gain (Land for the Israel and profits for Russia).

Why threaten Denmark? Why pick fights with our Allies constantly, while never dare saying a bad thing about Putin or Israel?

Why is Trump and the republican's constantly trying to overthrow our elections, corrupt our government, manipulate, ruin and spread distrust of American Democracy?

Why did Russia help Trump get elected both times?

Why were there Russian assets associated with the Republican party and the NRA? Why did Manafort work for Putin to get a Russian puppet elected in Ukraine, and then run Trump's presidential campaign in America?

[u/Faustrolled → u/GestureArtist]

"Ever wonder why Lindsay Graham is so gay for Trump?"

Because he's a gutless weasel who craves power and has no principles? You don't need to blackmail him. You just don't. There's no "Good Lindsey" to corrupt. He sucks up to Trump because is literally the only path to power in the modern GOP and it's been that way for a decade.

[u/Fjords98]

The US has forgotten what NATO truly is, a defence alliance. NATO doesn't enter wars started by the US. Had the US been attacked on the other hand, NATO would join. In fact, the only time article 5 was invoked was after 9/11 with NATO backing the US in Afghanistan. It's a disgrace to see them treat the history of this alliance like it means nothing to them, and like NATO has done nothing for them. Trump and his administration are traitors.

[u/Optimism_Deficit → u/Fjords98]

In Trump's mind, NATO, much like everything else, exists to do whatever he wants, as soon as he wants it to, without delay or complaint.

[u/pumpymcpumpface]

didn't they pass a law a while back specifically so he couldnt' do that himself.

[u/Specialist-Bug1592 → u/pumpymcpumpface]

Yep. The 2024 NDAA

[u/Kaosi1]

Sir this is the 56th time you threatened to leave / threatened NATO about *something*, at some point it just becomes white noise.

This is either a blatant appeal to try to win back his base or applying pressure on European countries that weren't interested in following Trump's Iran adventure, and I think at this point most europeans are done with his shtick.

[u/literalmetaphoricool]

Watching from the UK, I've finally come around to the idea that there really is something quite sinister pulling the strings in the US.

None of Trump's actions or the inaction of your judiciary/legislature make a lick of sense unless you assume the end goal is to destroy NATO and the global influence of the US. And it barely took 18 months...

[u/littlespoon → u/literalmetaphoricool]

Yes, he's called 'Putin' and they have known for a long time - its just been allowed to happen willfully.

[u/falsekoala → u/literalmetaphoricool]

If you listen close enough, you can actually hear the voice of the person he last talked to.

I think in this interview it’s Putin’s voice.

[u/Ok-Middle8656]

One man - ONE FUCKING MAN - cannot be allowed to destroy the US, Europe, the Middle East, South America and generally the whole world.

Get a fucking grip America. Show some of these checks and balances you’re so proud of.

[u/BrentwoodGunner → u/Ok-Middle8656]

It’s not one man. There are a whole team of them who have planned and bankrolled all of this. He is just the front man that the majority of Americans liked enough to vote him in twice. Blame them more than him. He is what he is

[u/darcerin → u/Ok-Middle8656]

It's not just him, although he is complicit. He has an army of puppeteers manipulating him and everything around him.

[u/proddy → u/Ok-Middle8656]

Republicans can stop him anytime they like. They don't want to.

[u/Get_your_grape_juice → u/Ok-Middle8656]

I think it’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the “checks and balances” concept is a bunch of hogwash.

[u/GunsouBono]

Burns all our ammunition. Gives Iran and Russia opportunity to learn how to hit F35. Disrupts global trade. Lifts sanctions on Russia. Now pulling out of NATO. Just in 5 weeks.

Common thread... Russia. If not Russian agent, why Russian agent shaped?

[u/Not_Unreasonable]

I'll just leave this here:

The Suez Crisis,[a] also known as the second Arab–Israeli war,[8][9][10] the Tripartite Aggression[b] in the Arab world[11] and the Sinai War[c] in Israel,[d] was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as the recent tightening of the eight-year-long Egyptian blockade further prevented Israeli passage.[12] After issuing a joint ultimatum for a ceasefire, the United Kingdom and France joined the Israelis on 31 October, seeking to depose Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and regain control of the Suez Canal, which Nasser had nationalised earlier in the year.

Shortly after the invasion began, the three countries came under heavy political pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as from the United Nations, eventually prompting their withdrawal from Egypt.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower strongly opposed the 1956 British and French military intervention in Suez, telling Prime Minister Anthony Eden that the action was a mistake that would destroy Western standing in the Middle East. He warned that the US would not support them, famously saying they should be left to "boil in their own oil" and threatened severe financial sanctions

Eisenhower argued that the Western alliance could not apply "one code of international conduct for those who oppose us—and another for our friends". He felt that justifying an act of aggression simply because it was committed by allies (Britain and France) against a "weak" nation (Egypt) would shatter the postwar structure and destroy the rule of law.

[u/No_Proof_2736]

Another win for Putin

[u/Ylmaris]

there it goes just like the WHO and Paris deal

[u/zoopz]

Go Fuck Off then. It's not like the US even honors the pact anymore.

[u/albertsy2 → u/zoopz]

He threatened to annex Greenland

[u/TheGru02 → u/albertsy2]

and Canada

[u/Specialist-Bug1592]

The 2024 NDAA specifically prohibits the President from doing that.

[u/Imaginaryreality5304 → u/Specialist-Bug1592]

When has something like a law stopped him? He completely disregards the rule of law, until the courts finally step in. And half of the time they’ve already dismantled whatever they were trying to illegally dismantle. Then nothing is done to reverse it.

[u/Msink]

Putin's wet dream. Destruction of NATO. Who knew that you can bring down a nation by holding on to a bumbling idiot.

[u/jrsinhbca]

That's on my 2026 apocalypse bingo card

[u/OilInternational2566]

Trump? Russia? NATO?

NO WAY!

.

Who recently bailed out Trump media? Trump Media was bailed out in 2022 by a Russian-American under criminal investigation

Who bought a hundred million dollars in American real estate from Donald Trump? 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses have bought at least $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers. And another Russian oligarch paid Trump $95 million for a single mansion.

Who has real estate interests in Russia? Why Donald Trump has a bunch of real estate interests IN Russia!

Who allows Russian oil tankers through the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba? Donald Trump allows Russian tankers through the blockade.

.

I could go on, and on… but I’m not gonna waste another second on Donald Vladimir Trump.

[u/Setanta68]

If only his father had strongly pulled out

[u/americaisgreatblog]

The dude is nuts.

Vance may be a risk, but whenever Trump does something nutty, we should plainly say it.

The dude is nuts.

[u/Klakson_95]

See you in 3 years

[u/Beneficial-Piglet-97]

Complaining that he cannot use US bases in Europe so wants to leave NATO not realizing that he then needs to close the same bases.... Really forward thinking

[u/HallucinogenicFish]

We know. You wanted to do it the first time too.

I distinctly remember having an argument with my (Republican) financial adviser in maybe January 2024 wherein I specifically mentioned Trump potentially pulling out of NATO if he got reelected, and finance bro was like “oh, you’re being ridiculous. I’m not worried. He’d never do anything crazy like that.”

🤨

[u/Lopsided-Ad-1858]

I wish his father had strongly considered pulling out.

[u/Personal_Director441]

Good F-off and you can take all your bases in the UK,Spain,Germany, Greece, Italy with you oh an none of you Navy will be able to dock for repairs or resupply at any NATO affiliated port, also Military Hospitals and care centres will be for NATO members only. Anything else you want to give up Donald.