Trump Gave Merkel $375 Billion ‘Invoice’ for NATO Expenses

German Officials Slam Attempt to 'Intimidate' Chancellor

by Jason Ditz,

During the course of last week’s private talks, President Trump handed German Chancellor Angela Merkel an invoice for $375 billion that he’d printed out himself, saying it was an estimate from US officials on how much money Germany owes NATO for expenses defending them.

Trump played up the idea of Germany owing “vast sums of money” to NATO and the United States during last week’s visit, but did not reveal that he’d handed Merkel such an invoice. The move didn’t sit well with the German government, which condemned the move as an attempt to intimidate the chancellor.

It isn’t totally clear where Trump’s aides came up with the $375 billion figure, but NATO has been pressing member nations to spend at least 2% of their GDP annually on the military, and Germany spends somewhat less than that. Despite this giving Germany one of the world’s most expensive militaries, and despite them being on good terms with all their neighbors, the Trump Administration is eager to play this up as something they can bill Germany for.

They can’t actually do so, of course. There is no mechanism by which NATO can fine member nations for not spending more money. If anything, the administration’s escalation of the rhetoric is fueling more resistance from nations like Germany, arguing that a straight percentage of military expense isn’t a good metric for contributions to international order.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/03/26/trump-gave-merkel-375-billion-invoice-for-nato-expenses/

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Smedley D. Butler 

“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”

― Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier