The Republican president has previously referred to fallen American service personnel as “suckers” and “losers.” He has never served in the military, having in fact dodged the Vietnam War draft on five occasions. The last of those owed to a bone spur diagnosis. It’s a condition that usually affects elderly individuals. He was 22 at the time.

Trump has similarly threatened to invade U.S. allies Panama, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a fellow NATO member.

The MAGA president’s growing, campaign-promise-busting appetite for military engagement also comes amid his bitter disappointment at being passed over for last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, despite a concerted public and private push by his allies. It was previously awarded to his Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama.

In a letter regarding that snub, Trump wrote to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in January that “considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

The Norwegian government is not affiliated with the Nobel Committee, which decides independently to whom it will grant its awards. Trump’s claim to have stopped eight wars remains highly disputed.

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[–] 240 points 8 months ago (5 children)

"In order to get elected BarackObama will start a war with Iran" - Trump, Nov 29, 2011

"BarackObama will attack Iran to get re-elected." - Trump, Jan 17, 2012

"Now that Obama's poll numbers are in tailspin - watch for him to launch a strike on Libya or Iran. He is desperate." - Trump, Oct 9, 2012

"I predict that President Obama will at some point start a war with Iran in order to save face!" - Trump, Sept 16, 2013

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  • [–] 125 points 8 months ago (16 children)

    Wars should be fought by their leaders, not their citizens.

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  • [–] 95 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    "Why don't presidents fight the wars? Why do they always send the poor?"

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  • [–] 64 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    WHY DO THEY ALWAYS SEND THE POOOOOOOR

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  • [–] 37 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    “Politicians hide themselves away
    They only started the war
    Why should they go out to fight?
    They leave that role to the poor”

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  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Time will tell on their power minds
    Making war just for fun
    Treating people just like pawns in chess
    Wait 'til their judgement day comes, yeah

    The problem is, for most of them, their judgement day never comes. And sadly I do not think the states are going to pull out of this one on their own.

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  • [–] 10 points 8 months ago

    When the sky darkens and the prospect is war, who's given the gun and been pushed to the floor and expected to die for the land of our birth, though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth?

    We're the first ones to starve, we're the first ones to die. The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky, and we're always the last when the cream is shared out, for the worker is working when the fat cat's about.

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  • [–] 87 points 8 months ago* (4 children)

    He's literally paraphrasing Farquaad at this point.

    "Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!"

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  • [–] 12 points 8 months ago* (3 children)

    I wonder if he'd be a better person if he'd seen Shrek as a child. I know Shrek is Dreamworks, but has anyone tried sitting him down and showing him Pixar's catalogue? Maybe something humane will click... I'd start with Inside Out, and then maybe freak him out a bit with Up.

    Who am I kidding, he'd probably walk away in the end thinking "What was the point of that? I'm already trying to do Wall-E."

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  • [–] 72 points 8 months ago (11 children)

    I'm ashamed he's my president but I'm more ashamed that a significant number of my fellow Americans don't just tolerate his words and behavior, they fully and enthusiastically support them.

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  • [–] 51 points 8 months ago (10 children)

    You're not responsible for being born on the same plot of land as a bunch of morons you don't even know

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  • [–] 28 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    Thank you for this. I hope the rest of humanity sees it your way when this is over.

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  • [–] 12 points 8 months ago

    Many won't. And that is understandable. But our only hope for the Star Trek future I've wanted since a kid is international solidarity among average people, regardless of what their stupid governments do.

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  • [–] 12 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    Unfortunately, I know some of these morons. They were removed from my circle of friends.

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  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    I also have "lost" "friends" because they couldn't pull their heads out of their asses.

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  • [–] 15 points 8 months ago

    It's funny how many on the far right are doing the reactionary centrist pikachu face over normal Americans cutting them off. They act like it's the liberals that are being unreasonable.

    I just saw a clip of that dumbass Watters complaining about this phenomenon. Do they really think they have some kind of right to be the very worst of people and others are supposed to invite them over to their houses for things like Thanksgiving? Or that women have to not only date them, but consider them marriage material?

    They like to pretend they are being cut off for merely being "conservative", as if it was just about something like deregulation and tax policy. If that being "conservative" didn't include so many truly gross things like misogyny and nativism and xenophobia and xtian theocracy and racism and so on, I doubt anyone would cut them off socially.

    People are so tired of their shit and the fact that it has personal consequences for them makes them so mad.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    It sucks, however, I cannot be associated with such immorality and ignorance.

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  • [–] 10 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Frankly I didn't realize how much of myself I was masking by trying to maintain relationships with people who have anti-civilizational worldviews. I thought I was being open minded and accepting, but I was actually just dimming my own light and giving their horrific beliefs legitimacy.

    It feels liberating to have solid boundaries.

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  • [–] 63 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    How can he betray the ideals of the FIFA Peace Prize and the Bored of Peace so easily?!

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  • [+] 45 points 8 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 31 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    In a letter regarding that snub, Trump wrote to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in January that “considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

    This is revolting, we are fucked. What a weenie

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  • [–] 21 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    ...he knows the Nobel Committee is a private entity right?

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  • [–] 24 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    He doesn’t care because his family is not fighting in it.

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  • [–] 21 points 8 months ago

    Go and die for your overlords then. Fucking disgrace of a country and I hope we fail.

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  • [–] 42 points 8 months ago (6 children)

    The pedo sack of shit and his thugs strike again by murdering innocent people and wasting billions from the US treasury. All this shit to distract from the Epstein files.

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  • [–] 16 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    It's not just to distract from the Epstein files, that's a sweet little benefit of course, but it's mainly just a continuation of the exact same US imperialism that has been ignored for nearly a century. They didn't need Epstein files to invade Afghanistan, or Iraq, or any of the dozens of nations subjected to US interventionism. The Epstein class have been fucking all of us over for decades, they just enjoy it with kids more.

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  • [–] 28 points 8 months ago (6 children)

    You guys are so fucking cooked down there.

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  • [+] 19 points 8 months ago* (4 children)
  • [–] -2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    Oh gee, thank god I have an American telling me about this. I surely didnt already know this about my own country.

    Anyway we arent running around shooting people in the head in the middle of the street so yeah, we arent even close to how fucked you guys are.

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  • [+] 7 points 8 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

    Oh my goodness we do?! What would we do without Americans enlightening us. I had no idea. Boy you guys are so helpful.

    Here is the differnce. Canada has an entire government panel on Truth and Reconciliation and is actively working with First Nations to implement self-governance for Indigenous communities.

    The US is trying to deport Indigenous Americans.

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  • [–] 28 points 8 months ago

    Imagine dying to protect a paedo from the repercussions of his many decades of raping children.

    Here lies Chad DudeMcHamburger.
    Blown to pieces in Iran for a person who didn't, and still doesn't, give a shit about anyone, even his own children.
    Rest in peace knowing that you were a distraction from the kiddie fiddling for a few days.
    RIP.

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  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago

    Yes, but that's a price he's perfectly willing to pay. Until the country in question bends the knee to the new emperor orangue - Lord President Trumpsky will slaughter as many people as he needs, American, enemy, doesn't matter... it's a money thing. Has nothing to do with countries - people like trump think they're above countries.

    I hear he's going to start up the draft again. They need bodies to toss into the mulching machine. 18 (or earlier) to 40 eligible for the draft. Hillbilly shitkicking goat roping jerkoffs welcome of any age. You old fat guys make good sand bags.

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  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Man i hope these fuckers die there.

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  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    But, but, but "peace president"!

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  • [–] 24 points 8 months ago (16 children)

    Could you imagine if ol' bone spurs had actually went to Vietnam?

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  • [–] 24 points 8 months ago (13 children)

    I can't. If fortunate sons were sent to wars, there'd be no wars.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago (12 children)

    While I agree with the sentiment, you don't have to go much more than 100 years back before it was common that the upper class led armies more or less from the front. For long stretches of history, leading from the front and in general being in the army has been one of the ways the upper class has held on to its power.

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  • [–] 6 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    Cool that's not how it works now

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    The point is that history has shown us that people will wage war for profit even if it means putting themselves and their children at risk by being directly involved in hostilities.

    The whole "we wouldn't have wars if rich people and their kids had to fight in them" idea just doesn't hold up to historical precedent. People with power are likely to start wars regardless, because they see it as a means of increasing their power.

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  • [+] 1 point 8 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    I honestly don't see what you mean? It's true that people in power have waged war on each other more or less throughout all of known history, no?

    Whether or not said people had to actually take part in hostilities doesn't seem to have much impact on whether they choose to wage war. Or do you have a counter example (a society that has changed whether it waged a bunch of wars based on whether its leaders had to fight in them)?

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (1 child)

    I think you're trying to counter something I didn't say, lol. I never said “we wouldn’t have wars if rich people and their kids had to fight in them”.

    I said "Cool that’s not how it works now" because it's a century later than the war paradigm you described and that's not how it works anymore.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    In that case, sorry I guess? Since I myself pointed out that that's how it worked over 100 years ago I thought it was pretty obvious I was aware it didn't work that way anymore, so I interpreted your comment as refuting my primary point (the one stated explicitly above). If that's not what you meant to do then I don't think we really have any disagreement.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago* (6 children)

    Good point. I did not look too far back indeed. It would be interesting to know at what point that shift happened. Was it because of a weapons upgrade, or the increased complexity of the state, or ... ?

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    To be fair it probably came from the fact that armies that protected strategic leaders at the expense of common soldiers were, over time, more effective. Military doctrine has a tendency to shift towards whatever works best, because the armies that don't adopt it lose wars and don't get to keep fighting.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (2 children)

    Strategic leaders seem more a thing of the past, few would suspect Trump of being strategic, so I think I'm misunderstanding the point here. If Trump were taken out by an enemy from afar, it would not impact the US strategy, right?

    Having let this entire discussion sink in a bit, it might also have to do with the decreasing influence of religion on leaders. Where in earlier times honour before God was an incentive for a king to fight among soldiers, such considerations may have vanished since the Enlightenment. But I'm not a historian, just pulling this out of my behind, :)

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    With respect to strategic leaders I was more referring to officers than political leaders. Historically, the path from military power to political power was also shorter: A common way to get political power was to first establish yourself as a high ranking officer.

    This whole pipeline of "protecting officers, because it makes militarily sense" via "high ranking officers often end up with political power" to todays situation seems a rather natural development to me.

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  • [–] 19 points 8 months ago (8 children)

    Send the maga maggots first

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  • [–] 12 points 8 months ago (6 children)

    Many of them are in the military. I feel bad for the members that aren't and just want to finish their enlistment or retire.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    The American military consists entirely of volunteers and their track record has been well-established for decades now. Anyone who signed up or re-upped after the War on Terror knew what they were getting into.

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  • [–] 8 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    I disagree. Trump first term and Biden were anti new wars. That was 8 years of draw dawn (really longer than that as Obama started the draw down and ended the Afghan war). Enough time to convince a high schooler to join. Also, don't forget that the military is probably the best social mobility apparatus in the US. When I joined i was working at Walmart, when I got it I was making over 6 figures with a 4 year degree and no student debt. In 2020 I was at 10 years and made the decision to get out. Sometimes I think about how I would only be 4 years away from a pension right now, but I would be asked to commit war crimes; and I'm very glad I didn't try to stick it out. It's not as simple as you make it sound. Many of our troops are just people trying to get ahead in life.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (1 child)

    Trump in his first term was responsible for a lot of people choosing retirement over promotion.

    Sadly that left the Conserv卐tives behind on active duty.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago

    Like I said, I chose to get out. But honestly back then Trump wasn't even a factor in that decision. The generals were still doing their job making sure his crazy ideas were held back. Remember at the start of this second term they fired a bunch of generals because Trump wanted generals like Hitler had.

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