Trump said Germany has accumulated an immense lack of investment over many years, according to one of our sources, telling Merkel the U.S. feels taken advantage of for spending so much on defense
But we’re increasing military spending:
Trump has sent guidelines to his Cabinet officials, directing them to boost the defense budget for next year by $54 billion—nearly a 10 percent increase—and to get the extra money by draining the budgets of the EPA, the State Department, and other federal agencies.
This is a staggering sum of money. Not since Ronald Reagan’s first year as president has the United States increased defense spending by 10 percent, and that was during a high point in the Cold War
So are we trying to spend less or not?
My guess is that both issues are entirely political. Trump wants to humiliate and dominate Germany, and he wants to look masculine by affiliating himself with the military.
Growing the US military is posturing with toy money. Needing additional military capabilities is not the point, and managing money wisely is not an agenda item.
Not.
Both issues are compatible with a belief that the West needs to become more militaristic and increase military size and capability in order to survive existential conflict with/destroy the rest. The current US regime wants to walk the talk, and both shame and scare others such as Germany to join in — to win, not to save the US some trifling billions.
But it’s very convenient for dear leader’s minions that both issues also offer endless opportunities for images presenting dear leader as personally dominant and masculine.
The US military is so far past the point of self-defense that it’s an absurdity. Calling this budget “defense” makes no sense.