So.. extortion then?
Technology
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
Yes, that's the word.
Europe is about to experience what africa and south america have been experiencing for decades.
Buckle up.
The difference is that Europe should be more capable of resisting America. We'll see if that actually happens but given how things have gone before when the EU went after American companies I don't think they'll budge easily.
Not even in office yet, and already making threats.
I’d like to see Europe tell Vance to fuck off. I suspect that if Europe gives in now, the Trump administration will make this same threat every time Europe does something he doesn’t like.
Trump will be an unreliable NATO ally anyway, so it isn’t much of a risk on Europe’s part.
Don't negotiate with terrorists
And this was from September so not even elected yet.
Tbh it kinda sounds like they just want to leave NATO regardless.
I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls the US out of NATO and the UN, since he hates both organizations.
I'd be amazed if he does any of it tbh. Last time he just spent most of it playing golf, and sticking his goofy-ass signature on anything they stick in front of him.
The last thing they want to do is actually deal with the boogeyman issues. If they did that they'll have nothing to campaign on next time.
Most of this will be spent lining their own pockets.
This is such an optimistic take. I am very concerned they will spend the next 4 years making sure whatever election we have next is more similar to a Russian “election”.
Holding Western stability hostage in the name of the oligarchs, good job voting everyone...
No no no, you see, we showed the democrats by not showing up to vote! /s
uuugh... I made myself sick quoting those jackass fucktards. (I did vote, and screamed until I was blue in the face to get people to vote. About every year.)
Old article, btw. This is from Sept 2024. I get that's what he promised, and while I think he's a complete asshat, let's not discount that he and Trump said and will say anything to appear smart, capable, and as if they have a plan.
Time will tell if this actually comes to pass, but I'm not actually going to hold my breath for this one.
Good note, I didn't notice that in the original post. I edited the title
These autocrats have always wanted to drop NATO.
Let’s not pretend like X is their reason. Supporting autocracy is their reason, and now they’re trying to come up with excuses to get the public onboard.
Yes, but they need to repay the rat elon for all his support during the campaign. This might even be true
As a European, i say, "Please go ahead." While I like the idea of Nato, I want my politicians to be forced to take action in creating an eu Military and not rely on Nato for defence.
Also out of curiosity, will you guys be deporting immigrants like Elon Musk? Who invalidated their visa.
And then you get idiots that will tell someone that is not American : "uh why do you care so much about our election, it's not your country"
Well yes your (vice) president is starting to extort the rest of the world before even starting his mandate...
Not too long ago, this would be a career-ending display of corruption.
What a coincidence that Elon Musk paid 100+ million for their campaign
Cool, no more need for American military bases in our countries then. Or sharing intelligence with them. Or propping up their arms industry.
This is why billionaires shouldn't exist.
The other thing I need to mention is that is that Elon Musk is far from the only billionaire with a massively disproportionate influence on elections and society. Or even the biggest. He is just the biggest attention whore of them all.
So, the US wants to lose the only influence it actually has on Europe?
I say go for it.
Sure that's not corrupt at all.
The Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire [Musk] if he allowed former President Trump back on X.
“So what America should be saying is, if NATO wants us to continue supporting them and NATO wants us to continue to be a good participant in this military alliance, why don’t you respect American values and respect free speech?” Vance asked. “It’s insane that we would support a military alliance if that military alliance isn’t going to be pro-free speech. […]
“I’m not going to go to some backwoods country and tell them how to live their lives,” Vance added. “But European countries should theoretically share American values, especially about some very basic things like free speech.”
The US ranked 26th in the world when it comes to free speech, with several members of the European Union higher up the list, according to the 2024 Global Expression Report.
If anyone is interested these countries are ahead of the USA from 1-25: Denmark Switzerland Sweden Belgium Estonia Norway Finland Ireland Germany Iceland Portugal Austria New Zealand Canada Argentina Spain Czech Republic Italy Latvia Costa Rica Uruguay France Dominican Republic Netherlands Vanuatu
Insult Musk on Twitter, wait until posts are censored, sue X for not having freedom of speech. How's that for American values?
This is expected. A hallmark of fascism is state capitalism — a fusion of the corporation and the state — with corporations administered more like org units of the fascist party.
Many of us have been saying that this is the natural end state of capitalism all along, if it's allowed to run its course.
They can't even wait two fucking months before saying explicitly fascist shit like this.
So many people are in for a rude awakening, including many people on the left who have no concept of what is coming. This is what happens when you don't teach history, I guess.
Block the lot.
We don't need US far right propaganda.
We have our own.
So, accept cybertrucks in the narrow streets of Italian hill towns, high fructose corn syrup in all food, freedom of hate speech driving vulnerable voices out of your public square, and AR-15s for everyone who wants one, or we throw you to the Orcs?
France's military industry is having wet dreams thinking about it.
If the US pulls out of NATO France becomes the biggest arms exporter of NATO and I would expect other countries will become less enthusiastic at the idea of buying US weapons systems.
x is a government platform now. Sign onto your government social media account.
In his shoes, I would think twice - does their team really want to present their dirtiest laundry to the world - such as owing an election to a media oligarch?
As for the EU, it's a massive bureaucracy which still follows its own laws. It probably won't change track. There is no single person to change its track.
However, at this stage of the game, I have the nagging feeling that some American may downregulate Elon Musk directly, far before the EU manages to step on his precious toe.
Oh so they're copying infamous and largely ineffective wolf warrior tactics from China. Good way to make every single country despise and look down on the US.
This is a key part of fascism, government and industry being one and the same entity.
It's Fascism all the way down!
If ur mean to Elon we leave NATO.
A very hinged take. Thank you Kanye, very cool.
Trump and Vance hold no actual power. Musk is now the shadow president of the USA.
Never thought I would say this but PLEASE let Trump live another 4 years.
Hope everyone is ready for this to be at least the next 4 years of our lives.
I say at least because these losers ran on fundamentally changing how our government works. In 4 years they may be able to create a scenario in which it's literally impossible for them to lose an election. Not to mention the effect this will have on global politics.
We let the Stupids have total control of our federal government. Suffering will become the norm. And if you think we're suffering now? Well, might be time to pick up a history book.
We should really start to believe them when they say these things, and prepare accordingly.