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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  • @whaleross
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    2910 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
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      3410 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?

      • @someguy3
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        1110 months ago

        In tough times people turn to strongmen.

        • @shalafi
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          -610 months ago

          Now that’s a reply that can be copy/pasted to loads of questions! Bravo!

          • ddh
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            110 months ago

            In tough times, people like to make things worse

      • @[email protected]
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        910 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

      • @[email protected]
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        510 months ago

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

      • @CosmoNova
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        410 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
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        210 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
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        110 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.

      • @[email protected]
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        010 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

        • @Psychodelic
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          110 months ago

          “incompetent”

          Looks over at soaring corporate profits.

          Right… sure

          • @[email protected]
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            210 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)

    • @someguy3
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      110 months ago

      Signing what treaties?

      • @whaleross
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        110 months ago

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