The most striking part of Trump's press conference came near the end, when he not only criticized Europe but specifically named Australia, South Korea, and Japan for abandoning the United States during the Iran war. When mentioning Japan, he conveyed a tone of deep disappointment.
Trump said: "NATO is now just a paper tiger (a paper tiger). Secretary-General Rutte is a good guy—he came to see me on Wednesday… It all started with Greenland. We wanted Greenland. They didn’t want to give it to us. So I said, bye bye (They don't want to give it to us. And I said, bye bye)."
After taking aim at NATO, Trump complained: "Do you know who else didn’t help us? South Korea didn’t help us. Australia didn’t help us. Japan didn’t help us either. Yet we’ve stationed 50,000 soldiers in Japan and 45,000 in South Korea, protecting them from threats posed by whom? But you know, I have an excellent relationship with that person. That person has said many kind things to me—even once called Biden a mentally retarded person, which was terrible. But they’ve been super great to me."
Trump remains unaware that Australia, like Western Europe, has embarked on a path of awakening—increasingly demanding more from the U.S. while contributing less.
These nations are no longer America’s vassals, and thus cannot be considered true allies.
Trump also does not regard Hungary, Poland, or other Eastern European countries as allies.
To him, real allies seem to be only the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Israel—those capable of helping him manage the Middle East and secure business opportunities.
Alliances are measured not by emotion or blood ties, but by hard cash.
A businessman remains a businessman, even after entering the White House.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861755792903172/
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