Page 1509 - Leverage News Today

>> this is an argument that goes all the way back to george w. bush at the beginning of his administration. people trying to get the europeans to do this, once i have signed on, it gives you the moral leverage to go after them every year and keep bringing pressure to get them to meet their commitments. very slowly, very steadily, we are seeing the europeans began to rearm, and if they are going to tell us to worry about russia, they are a lot closer to russia and then we are, and they are the fr...

Have a germany controlled by russia. thats not what this is. that second part is paraphrased. but thats what she technically said. what is your response? >> shes allowing herself to be beho beholden to russia. president trump is right to call them out on that front. in terms of nato, kay bailey hutchison said on "fox news sunday," were seeing the biggest increase in countries willing to pay their fair share with defense spending since the cold war. the president was criticized for making those p...

So my hope -- the positive that i see maybe in the presidents unique negotiating style is that he is trying to get leverage on the europeans on issues like trade, like tariffs, were in a little bit of a trade war there that he is getting them to make that 2%, the germans are at 1.2%. but you know, bill, i just -- it bothers me that, you know, were dumping on the most important national security alliance we have and thats nato. i mean, its good for the united states. weve got 28 military american...

Thats what he does. thats the saying thing he is doing with the tariffs all around the world with trade. is he trying to get -- he is trying to upset the paradigm. trying to change the way things have been for a long time to benefit the country. thats why he got elected, he feels, so stay tuned. brian: i will say this, the president is trying to link the trade and the nato and the defense. he is linking it all together. steve: sure, why not? more leverage. brian: if they are smart, they will say...

Most close allies. even on very contentious issues. then, the public face, the face that all of us get to see, is one of unity, and a commitment to move forward together. thats how nato works. i hope the president uses that model over the next 24 hours. >> general clark, before i bring in aaron and annie into the conversation, i want to talk to you a little more about this specific pipeline. letsi explain what it is. $11 billion, 745 miles. it is owned by the russian gas giant. it would double t...

The harsh comments on this pipeline, on germany being a captive to russia. where does this go from here? >> i think what we see playing out here is a fundamental question about american leadership and the alliance. for 70 years, past american presidents, both parties, have seen nato summits as an opportunity to demonstrate unity and solidarity and american leadership, bringing the alliance together. despite internal differences, which were dealt with behind doors, privately and discreetly. now, ...

Its either his general fondness for dictatorial figures, or it may be that having been criticized for this, he is in trumpian fashion doubling down, tripling down, just compounding the error. or it may be that the russians have something over his head, that the russians have been laundering money through his businesses, or theres some other leverage the russians have, which is obviously the subject of our investigation. any of those are possible. all of those are possible. >> secretary mattis se...

Europeans to get them to do what america has been asking them to do for 20 years, to increase defense spending, to take more responsibility for their security, and hes doing it in the way that he knows how to do, speaking truth to power, being very -- probably too public and too sharp in his rhetoric. hes doing it to get leverage to try to get the outcome he wants. the problem is that in the public, its getting a reaction which is in some sense making the publics more anti-american. and, you kno...

That. but david, the idea the president is having these phone calls with vladimir putin and basically disowning the people who work with him in the white house. >> disowning his own aides, disowning congress, disowning decades of american policy. what is so alarming about this is if you ask yourself what would vladimir putin want donald trump to be saying, what would he want him to be saying out on that white house driveway, what woe want him to be tweeting, donald trump is consistently doing ba...

Officially underway. you see those pleasantries in open air. in days hes going to meet vladimir putin and when asked if hes a friend or foe, he says competitor. everything happening at this breakfast and every day in beis going to play out. knowing if tls is this weakness, not a uniuted front with the president and our allies, that could boo ea card that vladimir putin can use in the meetings. >> reporter: the fear is that vladimir putin will have the leverage, will have had it upper