I wonder if Trump’s supporters understand just how dangerous all this is?
Dangerous that Trump would threaten our allies…
Dangerous that Trump would kiss up to our enemies…
Dangerous that the military feels it their duty to assure our allies the president doesn’t mean what he says…
Hours after President Donald Trump departed NATO headquarters Thursday, U.S. military leaders embarked on a full-scale “damage control” operation with calls to their counterparts across Europe to reassure them that America will abide by its defense commitments in the region.
The outreach, directed by the Pentagon leadership, came after Trump threatened to reassess those commitments during a gathering with NATO allies in Brussels, according to multiple current and former diplomatic and military officials familiar with the calls.
The overall message from senior military officials in a series of phone calls to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been that U.S. military bases in their countries will remain open and American troop levels in the region will not be reduced.
The Pentagon-led effort was meant to counter Trump’s withering criticism about the security alliance that rattled European leaders.
“One thing you need in this alliance is predictability,” one diplomatic official said.
The direct conversations were aimed at “reinforcing alliance commitments,” after Trump “made it clear alliance commitments were on the table,” according to one U.S. official familiar with the discussions.