In 1987, Donald Trump Paid $94,801 for a Newspaper Ad Critical of Allies for Not Paying Fair Share for Defense July 10, 2018 Vol. XI, No. 14 3:13 pm “The United States is being ripped off.” At 5:35 AM this morning, July 10, 2018, as he prepared to depart for Europe, President Trump tweeted, “Getting
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In 1987, Donald Trump Paid $94,801 for a Newspaper Ad Critical of Allies for Not Paying Fair Share for Defense
July 10, 2018 Vol. XI, No. 14 3:13 pm
“The United States is being ripped off.”
At 5:35 AM this morning, July 10, 2018, as he prepared to depart for Europe, President Trump tweeted, “Getting ready to leave for Europe. First meeting – NATO. The U.S. is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them. Not fair to the U.S. taxpayer. On top of that we lose $151 billion on Trade with the European Union. Charge us big Tariffs (and Barriers)!
At 6:42 AM this morning, President Trump reiterated the point in another tweet, “NATO countries must pay MORE, the United States must pay LESS. Very Unfair!
A fight with allies over the fairness of foreign trade deficits and foreign defense costs is a fight Donald Trump has wanted to have for over 30 years.
On September 2, 1987, Manhattan’s real estate developer Donald J. Trump spent $94,801 for a full-page ad in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post with the heading, There’s nothing wrong with America’s foreign and defense policy that a little backbone can’t cure. The subheading read, An open letter from Donald J Trump on why America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves.”
Writing in 1987, then about Japan and Saudi Arabia, Donald J. Trump the Manhattan real estate developer used the very language President Trump uses today:
- “Japan and other nations have been taking advantage of the United States.”
- “Why are these nations not paying the United States for the human lives and billions of dollars we are losing to protect their interests?”
Donald Trump ended the letter with the appeal, “Let America’s economy grow unencumbered by the cost of defending those who can easily afford to pay us for the defense of their freedom.”
That was the ad that fueled speculation that Donald Trump may be interested in running for political office. The New York Times wrote a story on the same day, September 2, 1987, TRUMP GIVES A VAGUE HINT OF CANDIDACY, stating that Trump told them that he was not interested in running for political office in New York, “but indicated that the presidency was another matter.”
From that day forward, every interview that Donald Trump gave he was asked, Have you ever thought about running for president of the United States? All the big TV interview personalities of the day asked Donald Trump if he had ever thought about running for president. Larry King in 1987. Oprah Winfrey in 1988. Charlie Rose. Barbara Walters. Mike Wallace with 60 Minutes.
What was the common theme in all of Donald Trump’s interviews about global relationships? Per Trump, the United States is being “ripped off” by countries who can afford to pay more.
That’s what President Trump’s trip to Europe is all about. Confronting trading and defense partners about fairness. A conversation that carries great political risks.
Will July Political Risks Abroad Wipe Out June Political Gains?
June was a very good month politically for President Trump and Republicans, considering:
- Most of the economic news in June was positive
- Most of the Supreme Court decisions in June were favorable to Trump (Religion, Labor, Redistricting, Travel Ban)
- Most of Trump’s picks won their primary races
- Trump/Kim summit on North Korean denuclearization was well received globally
- DOJ Inspector General’s report showed inappropriate anti-Trump bias at the FBI
July is off to a great start for President Trump politically with the opportunity to appoint another member of the U.S. Supreme Court upon the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.
But this month, July, is full of political risks for the President and his party.
Taking on foreign countries, as the president is doing during this trip to Europe, over trade disputes and the cost of global defense is high-risk politics. And then there are the ongoing matters of denuclearization of North Korea and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The border.
As for President Trump, a fight with allies over foreign trade deficits and foreign defense costs is a fight he has been preparing for ever since he spent that $94,801 in 1987 for that full-page newspaper ad with the subheading that read, An open letter from Donald J Trump on why America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves.
As to whether he is prepared for his meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin next Monday, July 16, President Trump told an audience at a rally in Montana last week, “I’ve been preparing for this stuff my whole life.”
We shall soon see.
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