If you just read the coverage in the mainstream media of yesterday's hearings for Trump nominees, you would think that there was a major split in the incoming administration. The MSM tells us that general Mattis, the nominee for secretary of defense, differed with the President Elect on NATO and Russia. The reality, however, is that Mattis took a different view from the phony portrayal of Trump's positions that the media pushed during the election. Mattis did not disagree with what Trump actually said, however.
According to the mainstream media, Trump questions the need for NATO and calls it obsolete. Sounds ominous, right? What Trump actually said early in the primary campaign, however, was that NATO needed to be updated since it did not focus on or even deal with terrorism. Trump also said that it was unacceptable for the other members of NATO to rely on the USA to defend them while they did not meet their obligations under the NATO treaty. That treaty requires each nation to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, something that less than 20% of the members of NATO do.
After Trump made his point about terrorism and NATO, the NATO organization undertook an effort to move to focus on that problem. Trump started taking credit for the change, whether or not he brought it about. His discussions about the need to update NATO stopped, however; only in the media did his earlier statements get constantly repeated. Trump continued to talk about the members of NATO needing to honor their treaty obligations. That's not the same as calling NATO obsolete.
According to the mainstream media, Trump questions the need for NATO and calls it obsolete. Sounds ominous, right? What Trump actually said early in the primary campaign, however, was that NATO needed to be updated since it did not focus on or even deal with terrorism. Trump also said that it was unacceptable for the other members of NATO to rely on the USA to defend them while they did not meet their obligations under the NATO treaty. That treaty requires each nation to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, something that less than 20% of the members of NATO do.
After Trump made his point about terrorism and NATO, the NATO organization undertook an effort to move to focus on that problem. Trump started taking credit for the change, whether or not he brought it about. His discussions about the need to update NATO stopped, however; only in the media did his earlier statements get constantly repeated. Trump continued to talk about the members of NATO needing to honor their treaty obligations. That's not the same as calling NATO obsolete.
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