About time. #winning

Quote:German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump underscored the importance of the NATO alliance and vowed to work more closely together to combat terrorism and militancy, the two leaders said in a joint statement on Saturday.

Merkel and Trump spoke by telephone on Saturday about NATO, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, their ties to Russia and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to a statement approved by both countries.

“The leaders recognized that NATO must be capable of confronting 21st century threats and that our common defense requires appropriate investment in military capabilities to ensure all allies are contributing their fair share to our collective security,” Merkel and Trump said in the statement.

Trump accepted Merkel’s invitation to attend a summit of G20 industrialized countries in Hamburg in July, and said he looked forward to welcoming Merkel to Washington soon. Germany is chairing the G20 group this year.[…]

The language on NATO came after Trump called the alliance “obsolete”, but it highlighted the need for reforms and updates.

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members such as Germany that do not spend 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on their militaries.

Merkel has said Germany will work to increase its defense spending – now at 1.19 percent of GDP – but also warned that it would take time to achieve the goal.

Trump has also said Merkel made a “catastrophic mistake” by allowing more than a million refugees, mostly Muslims fleeing war in the Middle East, to come to Germany.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tr...SKBN15C0U2

There is no excuse for Germany to not be pulling its own weight in the alliance.

This is the first non-insult coming from Merkel in regards to Trump. She's spent the first nine days disparaging him - and to be fair to her, there was a lot to talk about.

What we are seeing is the first step in the rest of the world coming to the realization that America is not going to pay for everything anymore, and they are concerned. They are now figuring out that they want to be on the right side of Trump because he's not just posturing. They step up, or America steps out.

(01-29-2017 11:24 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  This is the first non-insult coming from Merkel in regards to Trump. She's spent the first nine days disparaging him - and to be fair to her, there was a lot to talk about.

She'll go back to disparaging him again pretty quickly.

Just about every conversation between two heads of state these days ends up with a stupid sounding press release that made it sound like they've been old friends for years.

(01-29-2017 11:24 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  This is the first non-insult coming from Merkel in regards to Trump. She's spent the first nine days disparaging him - and to be fair to her, there was a lot to talk about.

She was a cuck. She has been put in her place by Trump. Her camp had been begging Trump to call them for the past week. They have been put on notice that there's a new sheriff in town. And they are starting to respond.

Another win for Trump.

Win.

Yep. More win.

(01-29-2017 11:24 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  This is the first non-insult coming from Merkel in regards to Trump. She's spent the first nine days disparaging him - and to be fair to her, there was a lot to talk about.

That's the game. Disparage in public and talk business in private. Been that way in politics for a long time given two separate audiences to influence.

Merkel sees a $70 billion trade surplus about to go poof which would ensure that she and her political party would be permanently ridden out of town on a rail. Of course she finally saw the light. She's not dealing with an enormous pussyhat in the White House anymore.

(01-29-2017 11:24 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  and to be fair to her, there was a lot to talk about.

Pot, meet kettle?

I don't understand how the CDU/CSU have not forced her from the Chancellorship yet. She will kill them in the next elections only to see an SDU person come in and accept even more refugees.