Trump’s NATO Remarks Expose GOP Hypocrisy

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:14 pm

There is an expression that Donald Trump, like most Republicans, not only doesn’t acknowledge has any value, Republicans and he typically prove they are not to be trusted. The expression, “you are only as good as your word” basically means that your value as a person is determined by how much another person can trust you will do something that you promised to do. Obviously, a person that is honest and dependable is considered valuable, but if you fail to do as promised, not only is your word no good, you are like your word, worthless and no good.

Over the course of his campaign for the nomination and now the presidency, fascist liar Donald J. Trump has demonstrated that he places no value whatsoever on keeping faithful to a commitment. Trump is notorious for regularly breaching contracts and commitments to pay for services rendered and materials as a ‘hotel magnate’ and has already signaled loudly that if elected he will unilaterally break America’s word on no small number of agreements with foreign nations. It’s just what he has done as a matter of course for decades, and that innate dishonesty explains exactly why he has no qualms lying at about the same frequency every normal human being draws a breath.

There has been little outrage by Republicans when Trump pledges to break out of the many trade agreements America is engaged in around the world, but this week when he said that as president he would not adhere to Article 5 of the NATO treaty and would not automatically defend America’s allies unless “they fulfill their obligations to us,” sent aghast Republicans into spasms driving them to lash out at him. Based on their outrage and disbelief, one might errantly think that Republicans exemplify honesty and commitment to trust.

Article 5 is invoked when one NATO member is attacked and requires other member nations come to its defense. Article 5 has only been invoked one time in NATO’s history and it was when foreign member nations came to America’s defense and aided in attacking Afghanistan. Remember that America attacked, invaded, and occupied Afghanistan, with valuable assistance from NATO member nations, after Saudi criminals commandeered and flew passenger aircraft into American buildings. Apparently, Trump doesn’t believe America’s word is worth anything because he doesn’t feel the need to honor this nation’s commitments. That drove hypocritical Republicans to assail him.

Now, what is beyond the pale is the hypocrisy of any Republican, particularly Senate Republicans, who dared criticize Trump for implying that America’s word is worthless when they have made every attempt to derail and violate every international agreement America entered into throughout Barack Obama’s Presidency.

It hasn’t mattered if it was the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris Climate Agreement, or the China-U.S. Climate Agreement, Republicans in the Senate went to great lengths to break America’s word. In fact, three of the Senators making the most noise about Trump’s threat to not fulfill America’s pledge to defend NATO members under Article 5 were at the forefront of GOP attempts to break America’s word because an African American man is President.

The Republican senators went so far as making speeches aimed at foreign leaders pledging to violate, or unilaterally nullify, any international agreement made during Barack Obama’s Presidency making the long-held position that staying true to and honoring agreements and pacts were sacrosanct a flaming joke. Remember too, that 47 esteemed Republican Senators sent an open letter to Iran’s Supreme Council pledging to violate the Iran nuclear deal as soon as a Republican was in the White House. Three of those senators had harsh words for Donald Trump for “proposing” to do precisely what the Republicans had attempted and promised within the past two years.

For example, warmonger Lindsey Graham (R-SC) condemned Trump and said, “Statements like these make the world more dangerous and the United States less safe. I can only imagine how our allies in NATO, particularly the Baltic states, must feel after reading these comments from Mr. Trump. I’m 100% certain how Russian President Putin feels: He’s a very happy man.”

The Baltic states probably feel exactly like China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom plus Germany and Iran must have felt when 47 Republican senators sent a letter to Iran informing the Islamic Republic that America is dishonest and its word is without value. Lindsey Graham was one of the 47 signatories to the letter to Iran.

Another Republican Senator, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who not only signed on to the letter to Iran, but also informed  foreign nations that America would not keep its word on any climate deals or agreements, weighed in on Trump’s threat to violate a long-standing international agreement saying, “NATO is the most important military alliance in world history. I want to reassure our NATO allies that if any of them get attacked, we’ll be there to defend them.” Well, apparently that all depends on who is sitting in the Oval Office, because if it is Donald Trump, America’s pledge to adhere to the NATO articles and rules is, like Trump and his Republican cohorts, no good.

Any condemnation and criticism targeting Trump for threatening to violate, breach, or dishonor past agreements no matter what they entail is well warranted, but not from hypocritical Republicans. It is more than reasonable to assume that just one of the reasons Donald Trump is so eager to broadcast his intent to unilaterally break treaties, pacts, and agreements with America’s international partners is because he has watched Republicans in Congress attempt to violate or break international deals and agreements with impunity.

Like nearly everything Donald Trump says, proposes, or threatens to enact if elected president, the idea of dishonoring America’s commitments is a standard operating procedure among sitting Republicans in Congress. Democrats can condemn Trump’s NATO comments and they should do so mercilessly; not because they are special or entitled, but simply because they are not hypocrites like Republicans and have not tried to derail any agreement that’s already in place. Donald Trump is a fascist, a pathological liar, and a patently dishonest businessman, but as bad as those qualities are, and they are certainly bad, they pale in comparison to the level of hypocrisy flowing freely from Republicans in Congress during Barack Obama’s Presidency.

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Rmuse

Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.

Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.

Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.

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