KEY POINTS

  • Defense stocks dropped sharply Thursday afternoon after President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. could massively cut defense spending.
  • Trump has sent mixed messages on military spending throughout his 2024 campaign and in the early days of his presidency.
  • MuskyMelon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    5 days ago

    Oh if anyone is going to be successful in Kennedy-ing a President, it would be the military-industrial complex.

    Keep cutting spending Donald, you’re doing a great job!

    • TehWorld@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      7 days ago

      Defense contractors are mostly publicly traded companies. Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing etc.

        • TehWorld@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          7 days ago

          As opposed to having the government directly design planes and ships and stuff? Even in ‘communist’ countries such as Russia and China, they have companies that compete for business. Remember that essentially all the billions spent with these defense contractors is employing and producing products here as opposed to overseas.

  • Snot Flickerman
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    77
    ·
    8 days ago

    He wants to annex Canada with half the war machine funding?

    He is literally a fucking moron.

  • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    42
    ·
    8 days ago

    I’m guessing this is all just a ploy to make Lockheed, Northrup, and Raytheon kiss the ring.

    Next week, all the classified work will be contracted to them for a steal of only thrice the price, but only once they’ve publicly kissed his ass enough.

    • Stern@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      8 days ago

      Broken clocks. If its any consolation he could be, variously-

      1. Floating random shit. Common Trump talk.
      2. Actually wanting to weaken the U.S. militarily, to the benefit of his leash holders.
      3. Fishing for bribes.
    • Fedizen@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      8 days ago

      Thats the magic of trump though, when he’s vague about things he can sometimes spin them as something agreeable. My guess is he’ll keep the regime change bullshit and nix stuff like burn pit procedures, ukraine support, and veterans benefits

  • MetalMachine@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    34
    ·
    8 days ago

    Would be a good thing if it would actually happen but we all know it won’t. Happy to be proven wrong however

      • pregnantwithrage@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        24
        ·
        8 days ago

        We spend more on our military than the next 9 countries combined not including our dark operations that we can’t account for in our budget already.

        We could cut our military in half and still be the best funded military in the world.

        That problem isn’t other nations, it’s the US and the military industrial complex

        • Sc00ter@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          edit-2
          8 days ago

          Have you ever read the unclassified annual threat assessment? There is an official report the intelligence comminity puts out every year detailing what other nations are doing around the world. And that’s just what theyre allowed to tell us.

          Ive read it, and if you look at what they detail out for chinas militarzation moderniation plans, theres not many reasons theyre doing what theyre doing unless to compete with the USA. Not to mention, chinas going faster than what originally was thought, and theyre becoming less reliant on other nations to do it. Thats just 1 nation. The usa has stuck its nose in too many peoples business that if they stop the arms race, there could be a lot of nations coming knocking. Weve painted ourselves into a corner (or at least have the perception of it).

          Edit: all that said, theres definitely ways to be more fiscally responsible with our military spending… just look at the f35 or the sentinel program

        • shastaxc@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          8 days ago

          But we also sell a lot of that military equipment to allies, making everyone stronger and recouping some of that spending at the same time.

          A quick search shows about $300b in sales last year with a spending budget about $800b. Of course, that depends on whether Ukraine survives to be able to repay its debt. But even if it can’t, all the military spending goes to US owned companies or citizens (our soldiers) which circulates in the domestic economy.

      • MetalMachine@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        8 days ago

        Considering how we’ve used that power in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam? Yes, its a good thing.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    24
    ·
    7 days ago

    If he actually halves Pentagon Spending, that would be… the first good deed he’s ever done.

    • answersplease77@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      7 days ago

      He never will. He sent a message for weapon manufacturer CEOs to chip in, and off course they will gladlyl buy him just like how silicon techies did

      • tempest@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        7 days ago

        Exactly, this is just fishing for a bribe, just like the tariffs. Bribe Trump enough and your program or industry will get a loop hole or passed over for 6 months or whatever.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    8 days ago

    Are you kidding … who the hell believes anything this idiot says any more. If any one does, then you are just as dumb or dumber than this orange cheeseball.

    He is the master of deception, lies and misdirection … he’ll say one thing, everyone panics and runs around scared or angry and while they panic, he goes behind everyone to pull off some cheesy lame ass scam that would have been easy to stop otherwise but he gets away with it because everyone is preoccupied.

    The stocks will jump up and down at his every whim and because he is the one directing the show, he’ll profit by betting on when the fall occurs and when the rise returns. He’ll skim off everyone’s wealth over and over again until we’re all bled dry.

  • cultsuperstar@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    edit-2
    7 days ago

    It doesn’t need to be halved. They just need to figure out where a large portion of the money goes, since they can’t seem to account for it.