Trump II

[Alan Klein]

Liberals complain that the Alt Right encourages nut jobs to attack liberals.  Will they say the same thing that their beheading and other physical and verbal attacks on Trump might encourage some nut job on the left who might take a shot at Trump? 

[LesPalenik]

Liberals complain that the Alt Right encourages nut jobs to attack liberals.  Will they say the same thing that their beheading and other physical and verbal attacks on Trump might encourage some nut job on the left who might take a shot at Trump?

There are idiots and deplorables in both parties. When one goes low, the other goes lower.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Ok, something less gore. Hopefully I can get some bipartisan agreement on this one:

[Alan Klein]

This is actually more serious than it may seem to a casual observer. Although she first mentioned it in a speech running up to the upcoming elections in Germany, she is not the kind of person to just make empty threats or promises because of elections (we saw that when she ditched nuclear power generation, and opened the doors for refugees with 'Wir schaffen das'). Instead, it's an observation she shared, and will act upon! We've already seen her and Emmanuel Macron of France together, and they seemed to get along (with Macron making a show of it by initially ignoring Trump as he joined the group of other G7 leaders).

This may also lead to things like a change in Defense purchases, which have largely been of USA produced equipment to facilitate cooperation in international campaigns.

Trump is playing very damaging games with international relations, and Russia is loving the turmoil it causes between the (former) allies. He couldn't have caused such a thing himself.

Merkel, minister stress U.S. ties after critical Trump tweet
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-germany-trump-idUSKBN18Q138

"U.S. President Donald Trump called Germany's trade and spending policies "very bad" on Tuesday, intensifying a row between the longtime allies and immediately earning himself the moniker "destroyer of Western values" from a leading German politician.

As the war of words threatened to spin out of control, Merkel and other senior German politicians stressed the importance of Germany's Atlantic ties, with Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel suggesting the spat was just a rough patch.

Trump took to Twitter early in the day in the United States to attack Germany, a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel ramped up her doubts about the reliability of Washington as an ally."

Cheers,
Bart

Trump wants more equitable trade deals with Europe and wants them to pay more for their defense so it costs America less for NATO.  He's fighting for American interests just as Merkle is fighting for German interests.  To argue one is right and the other wrong has nothing to do with it.   Where is Merkle going to go?  Russia?  China?  Turkey?  Iran?  Saudi Arabia?  Great Britain? This is just posturing on both their sides.  Some deal will be made down the line.   

[Alan Klein]

Ok, something less gore. Hopefully I can get some bipartisan agreement on this one:

And we voters get to look at Melania for the next 4 years instead of Hillary.

[LesPalenik]

And we voters get to look at Melania for the next 4 years instead of Hillary.

Now, if we only could get Melania and Bill together.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Now, if we only could get Melania and Bill together.

Given Bill's reputation...

[pegelli]

Ok, something less gore. Hopefully I can get some bipartisan agreement on this one:

Slobodan, I can sure agree to that one, quite funny.

[Schewe]

And the BIGLY WORD for today?

COVFEFE

Can you use that word in a sentence Donny?

"Despite the constant negative press "covfefe,"

Wait, what?

Donald J. Trump ‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe"   Enjoy!

Oh, ok..that helps?

The man is going nutz...

[mecrox]

Trump wants more equitable trade deals with Europe and wants them to pay more for their defense so it costs America less for NATO.  He's fighting for American interests just as Merkle is fighting for German interests.  To argue one is right and the other wrong has nothing to do with it.   Where is Merkle going to go?  Russia?  China?  Turkey?  Iran?  Saudi Arabia?  Great Britain? This is just posturing on both their sides.  Some deal will be made down the line.

Deals need trust, state to state beyond the personalities. That's in danger of becoming the missing ingredient here. No trust, no deals.

[Alan Klein]

Deals need trust, state to state beyond the personalities. That's in danger of becoming the missing ingredient here. No trust, no deals.

Trump is a tough negotiator. From personal experience, he'll take it to the edge. But since there are needs on both sides to continue to have a relationship, this will get solved.

From my side as an American, I believe that Europe has had it too easy and less expensive as it should have been. Germany and the rest of Europe are big boys now. This isn't 1950. They are all very rich. They should have the pride to stand up and defend themselves. They shouldn't even need America.  Europe has gotten too comfortable with depending on America for security at our taxpayers expense. We no longer are rich like we used to be. We can't afford it. Trump understands that. Europe is going to have to learn how to stand on its own feet.  Frankly, I think this will be great for Europe. And for America too.

[Peter McLennan]

Yeah, right. Let's change the subject and talk about... me.

I'm not changing the subject. (whatever the subject is at the moment) I'm commenting on what you said. That is not changing the subject. Slobodan didn't say "some liberals", he said "liberals" - an unsupportable assertion that serves no purpose but extending divisiveness.

I'm not splitting hairs here. I am a liberal, yet I certainly don't approve of that image.

[Schewe]

So, they are now going to partner with...?

With Italy No Longer in U.S. Focus, Russia Swoops to Fill the Void

ROME — President Trump made the most of his short time in Italy. He was treated to a private audience with the pope, met with both the country’s president and its prime minister in Rome, flew to Sicily for a summit meeting of world leaders and visited with American troops at a nearby naval air station.

But as the sudden burst of diplomatic activity subsided with his departure, European and American officials fear a return to the new normal of American inattention as the administration struggles with political turmoil and Russia-related scandals back home.

All the while, Russia is assiduously courting Italy, a country that once had the largest Communist party outside the Soviet bloc and that many analysts consider the soft underbelly of the European Union.

In Rome, Mr. Trump left behind an embassy without an ambassador, and forfeited a geopolitical playing field that Moscow’s ambassador in Rome, Sergey Razov, is exploiting.

So, the big orange dummy hasn't filled the ambassadorship in Italy...but that's ok, Trump is a great negotiator, right? He doesn't need an ambassador...


TRUMP IS ENDANGERING U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY WITH VACANT POSITIONS, CUTS AT STATE DEPARTMENT: CAREER DIPLOMATS, EXPERTS

Empty senior positions and deep cuts at President Donald Trump’s state department are “dangerous” for national security and have eroded America’s power globally, according to former senior diplomats and foreign policy experts.

In an address to civil servants and diplomats in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said funding cuts at the department are on the way. The remarks  follow Trump’s budget proposal in March calling for a 28 percent slash to Tillerson’s department.

The $10.1 billion cut could leave 2,300 U.S. diplomats and civil servants without jobs. The Trump administration has also yet to fill more than 107 senior department positions, according to government data.

#MAGA or #DriveTheBusIntoTheDitch

[Schewe]

Trump is a tough negotiator. From personal experience, he'll take it to the edge. But since there are needs on both sides to continue to have a relationship, this will get solved.

Yeah, tough negotiator...if you are talking about negotiating one on one about condos or golf courses...negotiating state to state requires diplomacy skills not heavy handed mean and nasty negotiating one on one.

So, how did that Euro trip work out?

Spicer's glowing review of Trump's 'incredible' trip abroad collides with reality in the briefing

Let’s begin by recapping the unprecedented level of sycophantic BS that flowed from Sean Spicer's lips during the first 10-plus minutes of Tuesday’s White House briefing. Cue Spicey:

I want to begin by recapping the incredible, historic trip that the president and first lady have just concluded because it truly was an extraordinary week for America and our people. [...] It was an unprecedented first trip abroad. [...] We've never seen before at this point in a presidency such sweeping reassurance of American interests and the inauguration of a foreign policy strategy designed to bring back the world from growing dangers and perpetual disasters brought on by years of failed leadership. [...] The leaders of more than 50 Arab Muslim nations was a historic turning point that people will be talking about for many years to come. [...] The president's historic speech was met with nearly universal praise. [...] This was a historic event [...] The president then went to Israel where he was received with incredible warmth [...] and gave a highly praised address at the Israel museum [...] This was an extraordinarily successful nine-day trip the president took.

Got that? Trump overwhelmed the world and, frankly, the language of mere mortals fails to capture what extraordinarily aaahmaaaaazing successes Trump pulled off overseas. But dammit, Spicey sure tried.

Ya gotta feel bad for the poor little guy having to give press briefings for an audience of one...Trump.

Do you honestly think Trump did a good job of dealing with NATO and the G7 Summit? You really think he did good or are you hoping he didn't do as bad as it looks like he did. Are you hoping the the #FAKENEWS isn't telling the truth when they say Trump completely screwed the pooch by alienating our allies and driving Europe to band together and away from the USA.

Germany's Angela Merkel Calls For European Solidarity After A Strained G7 Summit, And Other News

Perhaps that's why, after the G7 summit and a contentious NATO summit before it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the following at a Munich beer hall on Sunday:

The times in which we could completely rely on others are more or less over. That's what I experienced the last few days. And therefore I can only say: We Europeans have to take our destiny into our own hands, of course in friendship with the US, in friendship with Great Britain...

Maybe it's the translation, but that's awfully reminiscent of classic break-up language.

Dooode...wake up, he sucks! He's hurting the US and the whole word.

[LesPalenik]

Dooode...wake up, he sucks! He's hurting the US and the whole word.

And that's exactly why Angela Merkel said what she did. Stay away from the trouble!

[Alan Klein]

Yeah, tough negotiator...if you are talking about negotiating one on one about condos or golf courses...negotiating state to state requires diplomacy skills not heavy handed mean and nasty negotiating one on one.

So, how did that Euro trip work out?

Spicer's glowing review of Trump's 'incredible' trip abroad collides with reality in the briefing

Ya gotta feel bad for the poor little guy having to give press briefings for an audience of one...Trump.

Do you honestly think Trump did a good job of dealing with NATO and the G7 Summit? You really think he did good or are you hoping he didn't do as bad as it looks like he did. Are you hoping the the #FAKENEWS isn't telling the truth when they say Trump completely screwed the pooch by alienating our allies and driving Europe to band together and away from the USA.

Germany's Angela Merkel Calls For European Solidarity After A Strained G7 Summit, And Other News

Dooode...wake up, he sucks! He's hurting the US and the whole word.

You mean he should negotiate like the feckless and weak Obama who gave the farm away to Iran, who kissed the asses of everyone, who allowed Europe and China and all the rest take advantage of America's "goodness" and money.  No, what we need is someone tough.  If Merkle and the rest of the world's leaders can't handle toughness from an American leader, maybe they need another job.  You should be happy we have someone running our country who is tough and won't let other countries take advantage of us. Finally, someone who is fighting for us. Be smart.   If he's a bastard, well he's our bastard.  Don't listen to the world who want the status quo, a weak American president they can roll. 

[Schewe]

You should be happy we have someone running our country who is tough and won't let other countries take advantage of us.

I would if that is what we had...Trump is not that person...Trump is a bumbling idiot whose only frame of reference is himself not the rest of America.

I know you don't like reading the #FAKEMEDIA when it tells you something you don't want the hear but this is "telling"...

Trump's Interests vs. America's, European Union Edition

When meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, the president talked about how EU policies affect the business he owns.

On the European leg of his first foreign trip, President Donald Trump elucidated the relationship between his business and his presidency, although in a way that only further complicates the already-difficult task of understanding how his financial interests might impact his decisions in office. According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, in a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Trump discussed his skepticism toward the European Union through the lens of his experiences as a real-estate mogul. Per a translation in The Guardian, an anonymous source told the paper, “Every time we talk about a country, [Trump] remembered the things he had done. Scotland? He said he opened a club. Ireland? He said it took him two and a half years to get a license and that did not give him a very good image of the European Union.”

The meeting isn’t the first time the president has discussed the Trump Organization—which he still owns, but no longer operates—with other world leaders: In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, one of the first Trump made after his election, he relayed praise from a business partner on the company’s towers in Istanbul; on the line with Mauricio Macri, the president of Argentina, Trump mentioned a long-stalled project in Buenos Aires (which suspiciously began moving forward after the exchange).

You honestly think he cares about the "forgotten people" of America? He's already forgotten about them...consider this:


Donald Trump's business ties explain a lot of his dictator worship

As Donald Trump praises Rodrigo Duterte's death squads in the Philippines, Trump Tower Manila is going up.

President Trump makes more money when he embraces regimes that violate human rights. From the Philippines to China and Turkey to Saudi Arabia, the president’s adoration for authoritarian abusers is bad for those being oppressed but good for his wallet.

Staggering conflicts of interest that directly link Trump’s bank account to despots around the world are already transforming U.S. foreign policy. Trump is selling America’s moral authority to make more money by slapping TRUMP on shimmering new buildings.

Yeah, Trump is gonna negotiate alright...but only in his own personal best interest because that's the ONLY way he knows how to negotiate...

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Trump under fire over expected global climate deal withdrawal
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-trump-idUSKBN18R1J4

President Donald Trump came under pressure on Wednesday from corporate CEOs, U.S. allies, Democrats and some fellow Republicans to keep the United States in a global pact to fight climate change, while a source close to the matter said Trump was preparing to pull out of the Paris accord.

A U.S. withdrawal could deepen a rift with U.S. allies. The United States would join Syria and Nicaragua as the world's only non-participants in the landmark 195-nation accord agreed upon in Paris in 2015."

"The chief executives of dozens of companies have made last-minute appeals to Trump. The CEOs of ExxonMobil Corp, Apple Inc, Dow Chemical Co, Unilever NV and Tesla Inc were among those urging him to remain in the agreement. Tesla's Elon Musk threatened to quit White House advisory councils if the president pulls out."

We'll see what the covfefe in chief comes up with to destabilize the USA, just like Steve Bannon would like.

Cheers,
Bart

[mecrox]

You mean he should negotiate like the feckless and weak Obama who gave the farm away to Iran, who kissed the asses of everyone, who allowed Europe and China and all the rest take advantage of America's "goodness" and money.  No, what we need is someone tough.  If Merkle and the rest of the world's leaders can't handle toughness from an American leader, maybe they need another job.  You should be happy we have someone running our country who is tough and won't let other countries take advantage of us. Finally, someone who is fighting for us. Be smart.   If he's a bastard, well he's our bastard.  Don't listen to the world who want the status quo, a weak American president they can roll.

It takes two to tango. It's looking more and more as if the rest of the world is going to politely but firmly shut Trump out until he's gone. Really, if this continues Trump will be lucky if he can persuade Nicaragua to negotiate a deal on tamales. People don't like the guy and they don't want to do business with him. As soon as Trump's out of office they'll start talking again. Simple as that. The real challenge is to prevent a war breaking out in the meantime. There are no winners from any of this. Many of the points you raise most definitely need addressing but no one is going to do deals with Trump around. What's the point? If he ends up in the dock or resigning, anything agreed with him would be torn up anyway.

[Peter McLennan]

If Merkle and the rest of the world's leaders can't handle toughness from an American leader, maybe they need another job.

Learn to spell. Especially peoples' names. You'll earn respect and credibility.