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
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    2 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!

    • Stern@lemmy.world
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      5 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
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      5 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

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    4 days ago

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

    • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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      4 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
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        4 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.

  • Snot Flickerman
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    5 days ago

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

    He is literally a fucking moron.

  • Norgoroth@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Please keep fucking with the defense contractors, surely they won’t take any drastic measures against you

  • cultsuperstar@lemmy.world
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    4 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.

  • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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    5 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.

  • Zink@programming.dev
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    4 days ago

    I had the “wait, a good thing?” reaction too.

    But thinking about potential underlying motivations, it makes complete sense that the compromised traitor holding the reins would want to weaken the military at the same time as destroying the government.

    Or maybe it isn’t to help other dictators, and he just wants the opportunity to weed out more people who are loyal to the constitution.

    • ⛓️‍💥@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      This may signal he is getting pushback from the military which is a very good thing. If he is serious about Canada and Greenland he will need a strong military. It makes no sense to start cutting the budget now.

      Refusing unlawful orders is always cool and moral.

  • MetalMachine@feddit.nl
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    5 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
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        5 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
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          5 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
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          5 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
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        5 days ago

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