From the Article:

“If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again,” Vance replied. Hegseth agreed that “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.” But, he added, “we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this.”

Miller, the Trump confidant, effectively ended the conversation by saying that the president had been clear. “Green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return.”

  • skhayfa@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    Houthis are not attacking European ships. They are enforcing a blockade on Israeli ships in protest of Gaza politic of starvation and more recently US ships due to US bombardments.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      12 hours ago

      They’re attacking ships with any link to Israel, any ships mistakenly believed to have any link to Israel, any ships that might have links to Israel, and any ships that go by while they’re bored

  • Taleya@aussie.zone
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    14 hours ago

    American exceptionalism and arrogance on full display. They’re #1, and everyone else sucks. We can’t even wipe our arses without the guiding hand of the great bald eagle, they saved our arses in WWII and are responsible for taking care of everything ever in human history

  • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    21 hours ago

    This would be a great moment to remind conservatives as well as everyone in general that the United States has been the only ally that has invoked Article 5 of NATO.

  • Szewek@lemm.ee
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    18 hours ago

    I don’t like that they use the word freeloading. It doesn’t seem right…

    If anything, Europe could be piggybacking on the Trump administration. Cause they are little fascist pigs ⎝˵ ͠° (●●) °͠ ˵ ⎠

  • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    What’s incredible is the extent kool aid is being drunk.

    It’s easy to imagine the admin’s distaste of Europe being largely theatre for self serving purposes, but no, they really look down on Europe. They really view a purely transactional, begrudging relationship as desirable, like old allies are just filthy liberals.

    …I guess this is another Nazi parallel. Where some parties/groups thought the antisemitism was partially for show.

    But also, that is bonkers. Disconnecting from Europe will devastate the US, just to start. The Nazis were at least coldly pragmatic, but it feels like ideology has completely detached much of our country from reality, and it goes down the whole stack.

    • whatyousaidontwitter@sh.itjust.works
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      17 hours ago

      It’s easy to imagine the admin’s distaste of Europe being largely theatre for self serving purposes, but no, they really look down on Europe.

      This is what got me too. I honestly thought it was just for show, but they do believe in all of these crazy narratives.

    • Clasm@ttrpg.network
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      24 hours ago

      Disconnecting from Europe will devastate the US, just to start.

      This has been the goal from the start.

  • Damage@feddit.it
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    1 day ago

    “I think we are making a mistake,” wrote Vance, adding that while only 3% of US trade goes through the Suez canal, 40% of European trade does. “There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary,” he added. “The strongest reason to do this is, as [Trump] said, to send a message."
    Vance was contending that once again the United States is doing what Europe should be.

    Houthis wouldn’t be attacking ships if it weren’t for the US’ meddling in the Middle East.

    Waltz, a foreign policy traditionalist, said: “It will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes.” But he agreed that the administration sought to “compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans”.

    Maybe we should levy on the US the costs of the multiple refugee crises they have caused in our neighborhood

    • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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      1 day ago

      It’s Europeans fault too. For too long we followed the same line with USA on the middle east crisis, and many have no problem with the genocide that is on the work there. The neighbourhood of Europe (and now even part of it) is unstable from poverty and war, and we were fine with that.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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        22 hours ago

        This is why I maintain that Trump’s distancing of Europe is the biggest trust busting operation in US history. Down with the Empire.

      • Melchior@feddit.org
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        1 day ago

        Most of the issues really have been created by Europe. Jewish settlement was supported by the British for a long time. Not creating a Kurdish state was also a massive mistake, which has a good chance of leading to a genocide in Syria right now. Sudan was drawn up by the Brits and that mess has been in civil war for ages. Not to mention Germany with the Holocaust, forcing millions of Jews to the Palastine.

        That is not to say the US is perfect, but especially the UK and France really created a lot of the fault lines.

        • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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          22 hours ago

          The UK didn’t screw anything up, drawing the borders in such a way as to leave entire regions unstable in the long term was the entire point. (Which to be clear is more fucked up)

          • letsgo@lemm.ee
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            21 hours ago

            We’ve been invaded over and over again. If we can keep the foreigners fighting each other then that means they won’t invade us. It’s just self-preservation.

        • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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          24 hours ago

          Colonial attitudes never really went away. Not gonna play the victim here - we’re not innocent, and yeah, the U.S. screwed us over. But in the last 30-35 years, we’ve had plenty of time to fix things and create stability. But nope, war and stealing resources make more money for the powers than peace ever could.

          Now everyone’s low-key prepping for WW3. Not just Europe’s military spending, but the creepiest part? People are kinda accepting in their guts that it’s gonna happen by 2030.

          • Ofiuco@lemmy.cafe
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            21 hours ago

            Kinda related, I made a similar comment about my country (🇲🇽), about how we got screwed over a long time ago but we didn’t really took matters into our hands after that at all and got downvoted to hell by people blinded by “but 'murica did it, it’s their fault”, like bitch, I’m not saying they didn’t do it, I’m saying we didn’t do anything to not let it happen again or to not be so weak.
            It’s as if every or most goverments around the world didn’t learn shit and just got complacent, we brought this upon ourselves.

          • bstix@feddit.dk
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            21 hours ago

            History repeats. While Europe has learned from it, USA is doing everything they can to make Vance the next Franz Ferdinand.

      • Rene Raggl 🇪🇺 🇺🇦@mastodon.nl
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        1 day ago

        @nuko147 @Damage Bullshit… The Americans were the first ones to kick the anthill… Yes, you could blame us for standing by and watching them do it and sometimes even helping, but that’s what you do when your (back then) friend asks you for help.

        • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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          1 day ago

          There are no friends between countries. Only allies and benefits. You don’t shoot your legs for an ally. Help is another thing. We were supposed to be allies, but the USA überall is their new motto.

          Fucking up Libya, destroying Yugoslavia, maintaining a chaos in Palestine - Israel, help invade Iraq with lies, cut ties with Russia and let Ukraine to get invaded are not things you do even for friends.

        • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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          22 hours ago

          Yes, you could blame us for standing by and watching them do it and sometimes even helping, but that’s what you do when your (back then) friend asks you for help.

          If you help your friend kill millions of people and keep a region where hundreds of millions live because “a friend asked you for help” then guess what? You fucking deserve the consequences.

        • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Everyone has a moral obligation to decline immoral orders let alone immoral requests. “Just following orders” doesn’t cut it.

        • Damage@feddit.it
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          1 day ago

          You mean when your boss tells you to. Western Europe was colonized after WW2, not to the same dire consequences of the Warsaw pact, but we clearly were subordinate to the US.

      • RedSnt 👓♂️🖥️@feddit.dk
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        24 hours ago

        Article 5 proved to be a bit of a trap card, because that’s the reason Europe was dragged into the post 9/11 middle eastern wars, but I guess European NATO countries could’ve just ignored it or whatever.

        • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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          24 hours ago

          Only in Afghanistan was called. After 9/11. All others were voluntary. Also France, Germany and UK played a key role to many shitty things. They are not innocent but idiots who never saw the big picture.

  • recursive_recursion they/them@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    Trump and his lackeys are showing the classic signs of fascism.

    “…and in traditional Nazi fashion; one never attributes one’s losses to oneself.”


    Trump: “We Americans subsidize Canada for everything.”

    • Starts Needless Trade War

    Trade war ensues, egg prices skyrockets due to bird-flu in combination with the self-induced trade war

    Trump: hey Europeans can yall please spare some eggs?

    and now for some reason they say they hate "bailing Europe out again"🤣🤣🤣


    Edit:
    Breaking news! I found an insider picture to the current White House:

    • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      The problem is these dipshits don’t understand what soft power is. We get a ton in return for our investment. USD is the reserve currency of the world(for now). We get trade deals, we get cheaper goods, we get allies that when we invoked article 5 they showed the fuck up…yet here’s these braindead fucks who think this is somehow making us look strong by telling everyone we need something in return…we already get something in return you smooth brained cock wagons.

      • luisgutz@feddit.uk
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        17 hours ago

        And the US gets to sell their weapons to allies. This acts as a subsidy on the development of new weapons systems, and prevents possible competitors from developing theirs. It is easier to win a war when your opponent cant make any weapons, or cant scale their weapon making fast enough.

        It also provides an ever present treat to Europe: All those US bases scattered over the European continent are a reminder that Europe is free to choose their own political path, as long as they don’t deviate much from what Washington approves.

        • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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          15 hours ago

          Yea that’s another good point…and honestly if all our allies stop buying our shit, the military manufacturing here in the US is going to suffer heavily…wonder how happy they will be when the checks stop coming in.

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              12 hours ago

              Money isn’t worth shit if the reserve currency of the world isn’t worth anything. These companies will fuck right off to the next super power without batting an eye, and they’ll take all their tech with them.

      • leaky_shower_thought@feddit.nl
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        18 hours ago

        i think your point also adds up to how they view power: zero empathy, only chest hair moves are allowed.

        there’s exceptions but only if backed by gold.

  • PlexInphinity@feddit.org
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    22 hours ago

    How is it possible to “accidentally” add a reporter from the Atlantic magazine to a Signal group chat? You can’t tell me this wasn’t deliberate. Imho it was deliberately leaked by someone in the administration who wants to drive a wedge between the transatlantic partnership. Beneficiaries: Russia, China. Just like Vance’s hissy fit with Zelensky and his speech on Munich security conferences were all deliberately staged stunts. Vance is probably getting paid by Russia to do this.

    Btw. 60% of maritime EU-China trade goes over the Suez canal, so China is also a huge beneficiary of keeping the canal open, yet China contributed absolutely nothing to keep it open, so why didn’t Vance and Hegseth call China a “freeloader”?

    • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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      22 hours ago

      How is it possible to “accidentally” add a reporter from the Atlantic magazine to a Signal group chat? You can’t tell me this wasn’t deliberate.

      It’s doable if you’re grossly and utterly incompetent while also being convinced that you’re the smartest bunch of people on earth (so mistakes are impossible).

    • Melchior@feddit.org
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      19 hours ago

      Btw. 60% of maritime EU-China trade goes over the Suez canal, so China is also a huge beneficiary of keeping the canal open, yet China contributed absolutely nothing to keep it open, so why didn’t Vance and Hegseth call China a “freeloader”?

      China has a deal with the Houthis so they do not attack Chinese ships.

    • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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      22 hours ago

      Btw. 60% of maritime EU-China trade goes over the Suez canal, so China is also a huge beneficiary of keeping the canal open, yet China contributed absolutely nothing to keep it open, so why didn’t Vance and Hegseth call China a “freeloader”?

      Because you can not charge an enemy as freeloader, accusing him of doing nothing to save his trade. If he is doing nothing and he is an enemy, why are you helping him then? The big picture is sending a message to Iran, they do not give a fuck about the trade, its only an excuse to send us the bill.

  • BestBouclettes@jlai.lu
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    1 day ago

    That’s extremely concerning and should be taken at face value. And that’s what leaked, imagine what they manage to keep private.

    They will use everything they have against us. I really hope European leaders and the European commission see this for what it is and act accordingly.

    We need complete and definitive independence from the US, even if the next president is a democrat (if there are next presidents even).

    • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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      24 hours ago

      Yeah and the only way to leak it, is to invite the wrong people. But somehow they managed even that.

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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        23 hours ago

        That must have been in purpose because how the flying frack do you accidentally invite a hostile (to you, that is) journalist into a top secret chat about war plans?

        • dev_null@lemmy.ml
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          14 hours ago

          Not unreasonable that a politician has the number to a journalist in their contacts. Probably wanted to add someone else and fat fingered it from the contact list.

        • nuko147@lemm.eeOP
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          23 hours ago

          The problem is that they were discussing national defense information outside of approved classified systems. I mean Signal is secure yeah, but phones are not.

          • Hey boss. Remember the guy whose phone we hacked to use his private life against him?
          • Yeah, what about him?
          • I got some classified stuff and the defense plans of the country for next week.
          • . . . wait what?
        • YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world
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          23 hours ago

          No I’m seriously wondering if they thought some of this would help them somehow. I honestly don’t see how nobody would’ve noticed

        • mousetail@programming.dev
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          23 hours ago

          Yes, if you mistype a number of something you’d be very unlikely to add a reporter or let alone an editor