On Good Morning America Wednesday morning, ABC’s foreign correspondent Terry Moran hyped President Trump’s rebuke of a European ally at this week’s NATO Summit as an unprecedented act of betrayal against our allies. While acknowledging that past presidents have had “plenty of problems” with our European allies, Moran judged Trump as taking those problems to a “whole new level” wondering, was he “trying to reform NATO or blow it up?”
Anchor Robin Roberts set the stage for the hyperbolic report, gushing that “tensions were running high” at the “high-stakes summit.” Moran agreed, calling the meetings off to a “rocky start” with U.S. officials “squirming” at Trump calling out Germany for their recent pipeline deal with Russia:
TERRY MORAN: This NATO summit is sure off to a rocky start. You know, American presidents for decades have had plenty of problems with European allies but judging from this morning President Trump is already taking that to a whole new level. It was just a breakfast meeting with NATO leadership but the coffee got cold as President Trump erupted to reporters and came out swinging at a major U.S. ally.
TRUMP: Germany is totally controlled by Russia.
MORAN: The president hurling a stinging critique there of Germany's recent $12 billion gas pipeline deal with Russia. A country NATO calls the greatest threat to the alliance.
TRUMP: I think it's very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where you're supposed to be guarding against Russia a Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia.
MORAN: Top U.S. And NATO officials sat there squirming.
So while ABC complained about Trump’s comments yesterday saying it might be easier to negotiate with Putin, they were upset today for Trump scolding Germany for making deals with Putin.
Moran continued referring to Trump’s comments in a negative way, worrying that Trump was going to “blow up” NATO:
It looks like it'll be a long summit. Two more days with Trump like previous U.S. presidents demanding the allies pay more of NATO's costs but doing it his way...Well, the question a lot of Europeans are asking does President Trump want to reform NATO or blow it up?
