# Trump hands Merkel a bullshit bill for $374B **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089 "2017-03-26T19:28:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/21 "2017-03-26T22:23:34Z")
I searched\* the websites of the NYT and the WaPo, but no mention of this story. Even MSNBC doesn’t have it on its website; same for CNN. What gives? Clearly a bunch of US news sites are reporting _The Times’_ story, but not the two most important US news sources (assuming my search skills are not somehow deficient in this case). \*I searched for stories about “Merkel” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/22 "2017-03-26T22:38:55Z")
If it had been Obama, that would qualify as a Big Hairy-Ass Deal. Seeing as its Il Douche, just another one. Cockroach cluster, crunchy frog, take yer pick. So, not much either way, true or false. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/23 "2017-03-26T23:05:16Z")
The last time somebody handed Germany a big-ass bill like that, they elected some guy with a funny mustache and took over Europe. It was pretty grim at the time, but if it happened today, the Orange Peril would have a BFF he could get together with on weekends for _schnapps_. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/24 "2017-03-26T23:31:49Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > If you were the Russians, and you wanted to totally buttfuck America as a world power and a society, you’d want a stooge who is coincidentally doing exactly what Trump is doing. > > Funny that. You have to hand it to Putin, the last six months have been probably the greatest intelligence operation in history. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/25 "2017-03-26T23:39:12Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If it had been Obama, that would qualify as a Big Hairy-Ass Deal. Seeing as its Il Douche, just another one. Cockroach cluster, crunchy frog, take yer pick. So, not much either way, true or false. I certainly agree that, if this is true, it’s not the worst thing he’s done. It’s probably not even the worst thing he’s done to Merkel. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/26 "2017-03-27T00:03:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I certainly agree that, if this is true, it’s not the worst thing he’s done. It’s probably not even the worst thing he’s done to Merkel. Yea, pestering NATO allies about paying more for defense is one of the more normal things Trump does. Doing it with a fake invoice would be kinda stupid, but “just kinda stupid” is a pretty big step up for this admin. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/27 "2017-03-27T00:25:29Z")
When I first read about this I figured it couldn’t possibly be true and that some staffer was trying to stir shit up. I can’t believe I thought that even Trump had limits. This is a lot more than “kinda stupid.” He is dealing with a head of state and that’s one of the most unwarranted diplomatic “fuck you’s” ever. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/28 "2017-03-27T00:41:21Z")
I’m doubtful that this happened. Just sayin’, it seems odd that this story is being reported all over Britain while the German press is ignoring it. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/29 "2017-03-27T00:55:56Z")
Trump has a history of this kind of childish bullshit behavior. From memory, 1997 a school in the Bronx (I think) needed $5000 to send the chess team to a tourney. Trump as principal for a day presented them with a fake one million dollar bill. Later he gave the principal $200. Edit: found it. I was mostly right: [https://www.google.com/amp/www.nydailynews.com/amp/archives/news/trump-kicks-chump-change-article-1.759003](https://www.google.com/amp/www.nydailynews.com/amp/archives/news/trump-kicks-chump-change-article-1.759003) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/30 "2017-03-27T01:09:36Z")
An incident from 20 years ago = “a history”? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/31 "2017-03-27T01:37:12Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/32 "2017-03-27T02:01:28Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > You have to hand it to Putin, the last six months have been probably the greatest intelligence operation in history. Yep. The way I see it is that Putin already owns Trump - because of the Russia collusion thing. It doesn’t really matter if there was collusion or not - Putin can release evidence incriminating Trump if El Douche displeases him. It would be easy for Putin, Russia has built an entire legal system on manufactured evidence. And IF the $347M bill actually happened as a “joke” it has Steve Bannon’s grimy little rabble-rousing new world order fingerprints all over it - I swear, I honestly think Trump managed to use witchcraft to give a human form to his own asshole. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/33 "2017-03-27T02:03:02Z")
[According to this tweet,](https://twitter.com/RogueSNRadvisor/status/846179591886594048) from Rogue WH Snr Advisor: > [@](#): > > I have a copy of the Germany invoice & will be releasing it tomorrow.#IOU-SA It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s true, though it’s hardly the worst thing Mr. Trump has said or done. It’s certainly childish. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/34 "2017-03-27T02:17:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > An incident from 20 years ago = “a history”? There was also the time when Trump crashed a charity event in 1996. There was a public ceremony honoring people who had donated to the Association to Benefit Children (a charity which had built a school for sick children in NYC). Trump hadn’t donated anything to the charity so he hadn’t been invited to the ceremony. But he just showed up and took a seat at the main table. The charity didn’t want to have him dragged out by security so they let it go (according to some reports, then-Mayor Giuliani told the charity to let Trump stay). The reporters who were covering the event took Trump’s picture alongside the actual donors and people who read about it the next day just assumed Trump had donated money. Trump also made public pledges about donations he was making to various charities in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, like his public statement that he was donating $10,000 to the Twin Towers Fund. But after he made the statements, he never followed up by making the donations he had just promised. (Giuliani again covered for Trump. When people pointed out there was no record of Trump have made any donations to any 9/11 charity, Giuliani said Trump had probably made them anonymously.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/35 "2017-03-27T02:36:06Z")
And, of course, the pledge to donate proceeds from a rally to vets, a pledge that was not honored until the lie was reported. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/36 "2017-03-27T06:14:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > An incident from 20 years ago = “a history”? A leopard doesn’t changes its shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/37 "2017-03-27T12:53:21Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Does ‘diplomacy’ have an antonym? Sheesh. This is beyond merely tacky and juvenile. It’s those things, too, but the context propels them well past that. I sense a new campaign slogan for 2020: “Trump: Putting the ‘Dip’ in ‘Diplomacy’!” ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/38 "2017-03-27T12:55:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s unclear to me that the second source is independent of the first, since it references the first. It also contradicts that a specific amount was given (or known to be given). > > I’m not saying it’s out of the realm of possibilities, and it could be that Trump’s denial is related to the exact amount being reported. But I’d like to see more than one source. That’s all. I agree this is a story that probably shouldn’t be swallowed without some cautious sniffing first. As you say, this is well within the realm of possibility for Trump, and as **White SIFL** and **Little Nemo** noted, he does indeed have a history of pulling dick moves on people. (You’ve probably heard of his[cufflink schtick](http://www.dailywire.com/news/6825/multiple-celebrities-report-trump-gave-us-fake-hank-berrien).) Part of me want’s to believe that it’s true, because it would so perfectly fit the image I have of Trump being a totally gauche and shameless buffoon, but that should probably be cause enough for skepticism. The thing that most pings my skeptic meter is that if Trump did pull such a stunt, I think he would do it openly as a show to his supporters that he’s sticking it to Germany like a tough boy. He’s all about meaningless gestures and ostentatious shows of strength. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/39 "2017-03-27T12:57:08Z")
I’d heard that Trump had handed Merkel a huge bill, but it turned out to be a normal-sized bill that just looked bigger in his hands. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089/40 "2017-03-27T14:06:53Z")
If any of this is true, it has Bannon’s stale alcoholic stench all over it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-hands-merkel-a-bullshit-bill-for-374b/783089.md?page=3)