06.16.2020

Pres. Trump Pulls Nearly 10,000 Troops From Germany

President Trump has lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pulling nearly 10,000 U.S. troops out of Germany and accusing her of delinquency on military spending. In fact, Germany has raised its share of the NATO budget to more than $50 billion since President Trump took office. Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, responds to the president’s decision.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, let me start by asking you about what you make of this decision to pull a third of these important NATO forces and what your, you know, fellow NATO ambassadors are saying to you.

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, the president did say that he had made that announcement, and I have gotten a lot of questions, of course, from the ambassadors here. And I think that it’s important to see a bigger picture as well, and know that nothing is happening immediately, but there will be a look by the military, the president has asked the military to give him options, and they will look at where the troops are best able to be to protect our interests and NATO interests in Europe and also around the world. So, I think that the administration will be working with Germany to look at the kinds of troops. We don’t even know the details of what troops might be looked at, because there are permanent bases in Germany, there are rotating bases and then there are pass-through troops as well. So, a lot is unclear and not decided, and I think the military will put all of this together and work with Germany and others to make the right decisions going forward.

About This Episode EXPAND

Kay Bailey Hutchison discusses President Trump’s decision to pull nearly 10,000 troops out of Germany. Chile Eboe-Osuji responds to the president’s sanctions against International Criminal Court officials. Rev. Robert Schenck reflects on the president’s relationship to white evangelical voters. Amos Nachoum and Yonatan Nir discuss the new documentary “Picture of His Life.”

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