Donald Trump told the president of the European Commission in 2020 that the US would “never come help” if Europe was attacked and also said “Nato is dead”, a senior European commissioner said.

Multiple news outlets said the exchange between Trump and Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 was described in Brussels on Tuesday by Thierry Breton, a French European commissioner responsible for the internal market, with responsibilities including defence.

“You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you,” Trump said, according to Breton, who was speaking at the European parliament.

According to Breton, Trump also said: “By the way, Nato is dead, and we will leave, we will quit Nato.”

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  • logicbomb@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    The strangest thing about this, to me, is that it’s obvious that another Trump presidency would be disaster for a lot of governments in Europe, but what are they actually doing about it?

    All I see are the massively successful disinformation campaigns coming out of Russia.

    • HWK_290@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Probably occupied staving off the same disinformation and right wing lunatics set to sweep their elections this year…

    • whaleross@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Swede here, in the revolving door of maybe NATO membership. I’d prefer the EU to have our own military union that is affiliated with NATO but isn’t devoted to American interests. Unfortunately it seems too late for such considerations with our right wing government signing treaties as fast as they can. Thanks, Putin.

      • fastandcurious@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Why is every country electing a right wing government? They are literally good for fucking nothing, what good have they done ever for anyone?

        • Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          Because they promise easy solutions to impossible problems, promise to push the pain and hardship onto someone else, promise to make life easier and simpler and to chase away all the things that make it difficult.

          The fact they do the opposite doesn’t matter

        • hglman@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          Bc the only outride the status quo options the wealth-controlled media will promote as viable is the far right.

        • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          The result of the rich owning all media, spreading misinformation to get even more tax cuts and subsidies. Right wing politics come in many flavors these days but they always favor the interest of some very wealthy groups and then distract the masses with more lies.

        • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Those with wealth and power, have the wealth and power to get their message out more effectively. And push back against the message of those without wealth and power efficiently. We as a collective global society have decided to reward the most psychotic selfish monkeys among us. With a laser focus on brutally punishing the poor and disadvantaged. Even as we consistently give the wealthy gentle pats on the wrist, should they violate the public trust, laws, etc.

          Every billionaire is a failure of government as are most multi-millionaires. Even as they wail and gnash at every minor setback properly functioning government gives them. Portraying functioning government as the failure. Combined with the fact that you have to be intelligent and articulate to convince others of your viewpoint. Any old thug can get people’s support by threatening their life or livelihood, as the wealthy do. This is why as a species we will exterminate ourselves most likely.

        • whaleross@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          They are very good for the economic elite and voted to power by idiots that think they’ll reap a fraction of the benefits of the economic elite. Also bigots and extremists love the right wing because everything in society will get worse so more people will be uphappy which will in turn feed more xenophobia and more extremism.

        • Kidplayer_666@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          Usual reason. Traditional parties for one reason or another get incompetent leaders unable to grow the economy and improve living standards, young people lose hope and stop joining the traditional parties, which means they have no new flux of talent, meaning things are ripe for populists to take over. Often times, one of the establishment parties positions itself in such a way it claims it is the final defence against populism, negating the traditional opposition (prime example: Macron). Most European countries have had a bad experience with communism more recently than with Nazis, which means the right wing parties tend to have an easier time as they are farther away from memory

            • Kidplayer_666@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              If you are ever able, come to Portugal. Beautiful country, my home. Some of the grossest mismanagement I’ve ever seen, and the opposition hasn’t been able to put up good candidates for a while now, and despite the awful state of public services and the economy, the several scandals, there is a reasonable chance that the party that is in government will remain in power. (also a chance of a parliament deadlock)

        • whaleross@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Treaties is maybe not the right word in English. NATO application for one, American military facilities in Sweden is another.

    • someguy3@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      what are they actually doing about it?

      Europe can’t do anything about it, that’s interfering with another country’s politics.

      • Cypher@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Yea the US has never done that, especially not to its “allies” so of course none of those “allies” are allowed to do it to the US.

        • HerrBeter@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          I’m sure the country with probably the most coups of others wouldn’t do such a thing as pick marionettes for others… Right??

    • Amaltheamannen@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      Many European countries have massively increased military spending and are reviving disbanded military units. What more do you expect them to do?

      • eskimofry@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I guess the parent comment is implying they should have their own misinformation agenda to steer trump?

    • GiddyGap@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      European countries have actually been spending a lot more on military lately. Whether that has something to do with the threat of another Trump presidency or the threat from Russia, I don’t know. Maybe both.