Leer en Español
On 25 September 2018, 4 years ago, President Donald Trump, in a speech at the UN General Assembly, warned Germany that relying on Russian gas could prove catastrophic and dangerous to its security. The response at the time from the German delegation was… to laugh.
Yes, the Germans guffawed as Trump praised Poland for seeking alternative energy suppliers. Today they probably won’t find it so funny.
Last week Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe amid tensions over its invasion of Ukraine. The hardest hit is European citizens, who for years let their politicians bow at Putin’s feet and are now entirely at his mercy.
En respuesta a las sanciones de Bruselas por la invasión de Ucrania, Rusia cortó el gas a Europa.
Hace un par de años Trump advertía a Alemania del peligro de depender del gas ruso y los alemanes se rieron de él. Supongo que hoy no les dará tanta risa. pic.twitter.com/qeVtVBHx7r
— Emmanuel Rincón (@EmmaRincon) September 6, 2022
Now, Germany and other European countries are scrambling for energy sources, and citizens are paying exorbitant electricity prices. According to Energy News, they are now paying 153% more. To top it off, countries as advanced as Spain order air conditioners in public offices to be turned off and thermostats to be regulated to “save energy.”
For years Trump warned about the dangers of heavily relying on Putin. Yet, the only news the international press reported was that Trump was in cahoots with the Russian, that “Orange Man Bad,” that the tweets were cruel, and they ignored the former president’s warnings.
I guess Germans who mocked him so much today will not think it is so funny to have their country subjected to such an extreme situation.
If Trump had been listened to at the UN, we would probably not have a war in Ukraine today because Russia would not have dared to invade its neighbor without having half of Europe by the throat with its energy. But I insist that the European progressive press and political apparatus only said “Orange Man Bad.” That slogan they will keep repeating, even if ignoring their warnings, will lead to mass starvation or complete submission to the tyrannies of China and Russia.
Emmanuel Rincón is a lawyer, writer, novelist and essayist. He has won several international literary awards. He is Editor-at-large at El American // Emmanuel Rincón es abogado, escritor, novelista y ensayista. Ganador de diversos premios literarios internacionales. Es editor-at-large en El American