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Daily Beast: President Trump Turned International Diplomacy Into A Fistfight—And Lost

Spladam

Spladam

Member
U.S. diplomats likening him to a ‘drunk tourist'
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Daily Beast's Scott Bixby summarizes the U.S. President and Chief's embarrassing European romp.

During his inaugural international trip as the leader of the free world, President Donald Trump learned the problem with first impressions—you only get to make one.
After indulging the royals of Saudi Arabia with assurances that he was “not here to lecture”—in exchange for gold chains and glowing orbs—Trump took a much harder stance toward major Western democracies, distancing his administration politically and, in some cases, personally from some of America’s oldest and closest allies. The concept of diplomacy as a pursuit of mutually beneficial terms for both parties stood in stark relief against Trump’s worldview, which divvies up the world into two groups: winners and losers.

In a meeting with European Union leaders on Wednesday, Trump reportedly dubbed the Germans “bad, very bad” and decried current U.S. military commitments to Europe as “unfair to the people and taxpayers of the United States.” During a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels meant to dedicate a memorial to the alliance’s strength in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Trump scolded NATO member nations for “not paying what they should be paying.”

Rather than speak to leaders from the 28 nations of which NATO is comprised, Trump instead, it appeared, spoke to his base. Trump declined to recommit the United States to upholding Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which stipulates that an attack against one member nation is considered an attack against all. The omission—later downplayed by White House press secretary Sean Spicer—underscores threats Trump made as a candidate to treat Article 5 as conditional, based on whether a country was spending enough on defense.
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Macron dismissed Trump’s antics as the “diplomacy of public invective,” which could be combated only by strong-armed—or, rather, strong-handed—bilateral talks. Likening Trump to strongmen like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, Macron promised a challenge to Trump in future negotiations: “In my bilateral dialogues, I don’t let anything pass—that is how we are respected.”
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“When it comes to diplomacy, President Trump is a drunk tourist,” a State Department official told the Daily Beast. “Loud and tacky, shoving his way around the dance floor. He steps on others without realizing it. It’s ineffectual.”

But far more concerning, the official said, was Trump’s “arrogance” in threatening to single-handedly thwart the Paris Agreement, which obliges member states to slash carbon emissions to combat global climate change. Trump’s reality-show declaration that he’ll make a final decision on his commitment to the accord “next week!” is, in the official’s terms, “an abdication of American leadership.”
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M

Madness

Member
MsKrisp said:
Proudly perpetuating American stereotypes across the world stage, all while destroying us at home
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Destroying you folks abroad. What these voters with the wool over their eyes don't see is, eventually even friends and family aka allies have their limits for abuse. It is easy for Trump to rail on Germant publicly or Canada or Mexico or Australia or Sweden but difficult to do it to your enemiea if you cannot back it up. America will continue as she has at home. Abroad you are seeing the end of US diplomatic leadership, the end of the US as a trusted leader and ally. The leader of Montenegro barely survived assassination and threats against his life to join NATO against Russia. How is he repaid. By a shove seen round the world one that his opposition has now seized on saying this is how the US reciprocated the move to join NATO, we should have stayed with Russia etc.

In the end, like Merkel said, EU will go on with a future where Britain and the US are not reliable. And countries may look elsewhere rather than to the US for leadership. NATO is and was an american geopolitical tool to combat the spread of communism and contain the Soviet Union and now Russia. Much like the pivot to Asia is meant to contain China. There is a reason for the US State Department to exist. A moron like Trump is out of his league here.
 
Spladam

Spladam

Member
Madness said:
Destroying you folks abroad. What these voters with the wool over their eyes don't see is, eventually even friends and family aka allies have their limits for abuse. It is easy for Trump to rail on Germant publicly or Canada or Mexico or Australia or Sweden but difficult to do it to your enemiea if you cannot back it up. America will continue as she has at home. Abroad you are seeing the end of US diplomatic leadership, the end of the US as a trusted leader and ally. The leader of Montenegro barely survived assassination and threats against his life to join NATO against Russia. How is he repaid. By a shove seen round the world one that his opposition has now seized on saying this is how the US reciprocated the move to join NATO, we should have stayed with Russia etc.

In the end, like Merkel said, EU will go on with a future where Britain and the US are not reliable. And countries may look elsewhere rather than to the US for leadership. NATO is and was an american geopolitical tool to combat the spread of communism and contain the Soviet Union and now Russia. Much like the pivot to Asia is meant to contain China. There is a reason for the US State Department to exist. A moron like Trump is out of his league here.
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This.

More than just being embarrassing, it is a dangerous weakening of U.S. influence in diplomatic concerns that REALLY count. After treating the Saudis like cherished friends, the U.S. president craps all over our important allies. There will come a day when the U.S. really needs these countries to protect itself from our real enemies international advances.
 
S

Slime

Banned
I didn't realize the guy he shoved was the Montenegro PM.

That puts it in an entirely different perspective.
 
N

norm9

Member
This trip didn't just further show Trump's incompetence, it also proved without a shadow of doubt that Russia's plan to influence and weaken America among its allies.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
In a stunning twist, Germany is looked on as the leader of the Western world while United States gets taken over from the inside by nazis.
 
K

knitoe

Member
Madness said:
Destroying you folks abroad. What these voters with the wool over their eyes don't see is, eventually even friends and family aka allies have their limits for abuse. It is easy for Trump to rail on Germant publicly or Canada or Mexico or Australia or Sweden but difficult to do it to your enemiea if you cannot back it up. America will continue as she has at home. Abroad you are seeing the end of US diplomatic leadership, the end of the US as a trusted leader and ally. The leader of Montenegro barely survived assassination and threats against his life to join NATO against Russia. How is he repaid. By a shove seen round the world one that his opposition has now seized on saying this is how the US reciprocated the move to join NATO, we should have stayed with Russia etc.

In the end, like Merkel said, EU will go on with a future where Britain and the US are not reliable. And countries may look elsewhere rather than to the US for leadership. NATO is and was an american geopolitical tool to combat the spread of communism and contain the Soviet Union and now Russia. Much like the pivot to Asia is meant to contain China. There is a reason for the US State Department to exist. A moron like Trump is out of his league here.
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These days, I see this posted constantly, but sorry, no. We can bitch about the "leader," pretty much everything applies to Trump, but unless another nation can step up, be the "world police," "super power" and etc., the USA will continue to be in charge. It will take many decades before another country can overtake the USA dominance. By then, many presidents would have come and gone. During that time, one(s) of them could have get America's leadership badge back.
 
L

ldar247

Banned
from the title I thought he got into an actual fist fight with another world leader lol

edit:


Madness said:
Destroying you folks abroad. What these voters with the wool over their eyes don't see is, eventually even friends and family aka allies have their limits for abuse. It is easy for Trump to rail on Germant publicly or Canada or Mexico or Australia or Sweden but difficult to do it to your enemiea if you cannot back it up. America will continue as she has at home. Abroad you are seeing the end of US diplomatic leadership, the end of the US as a trusted leader and ally. The leader of Montenegro barely survived assassination and threats against his life to join NATO against Russia. How is he repaid. By a shove seen round the world one that his opposition has now seized on saying this is how the US reciprocated the move to join NATO, we should have stayed with Russia etc.

In the end, like Merkel said, EU will go on with a future where Britain and the US are not reliable. And countries may look elsewhere rather than to the US for leadership. NATO is and was an american geopolitical tool to combat the spread of communism and contain the Soviet Union and now Russia. Much like the pivot to Asia is meant to contain China. There is a reason for the US State Department to exist. A moron like Trump is out of his league here.
Click to expand...



He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
 
P

pirata

Member
norm9 said:
This trip didn't just further show Trump's incompetence, it also proved without a shadow of doubt that Russia's plan to influence and weaken America among its allies.
Click to expand...

Yep. Trump is a tool being used against us. He might even be too stupid to realize it, but he's doing everything he can to dismantle the world's most powerful country as quickly as possible without a direct invasion or nuclear attack. At this point, we need to come to terms with the fact that the Republican Party, for the most part, are the deadliest enemies we've ever had, and we need to start treating them as such.
 
W

WhiteRabbitEXE

Member
ldar247 said:
from the title I thought he got into an actual fist fight with another world leader lol

edit:

He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
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1) Yes, he can. Absolutely. He's already doing real damage in real time.
2) Another term isn't impossible.
 
F

FStubbs

Member
Spladam said:
This.

More than just being embarrassing, it is a dangerous weakening of U.S. influence in diplomatic concerns that REALLY count. After treating the Saudis like cherished friends, the U.S. president craps all over our important allies. There will come a day when the U.S. really needs these countries to protect itself from our real enemies international advances.
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And yet the Republicans claimed for years that Obama was the embarrassment on the global stage.

pirata said:
Yep. Trump is a tool being used against us. He might even be too stupid to realize it, but he's doing everything he can to dismantle the world's most powerful country as quickly as possible without a direct invasion or nuclear attack. At this point, we need to come to terms with the fact that the Republican Party, for the most part, are the deadliest enemies we've ever had, and we need to start treating them as such.
Click to expand...


As a minority I could've told you this a long time ago.
 
Spladam

Spladam

Member
ldar247 said:
He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
Click to expand...

xxracerxx said:
Yes, how do people not realize this?
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WhiteRabbitEXE said:
1) Yes, he can. Absolutely. He's already doing real damage in real time.
2) Another term isn't impossible.
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I can only imagine the possibilities, he could REALLY do a lot of destruction in three more years, look what he managed to do in 100 days. He specializes in dividing the populous, more than any other president I think. (Dick Cheney MIGHT have him in a tie).

And I don't even like to mentions WhiteRabbit's point #2, I feel like I'm jinxing myself every time I do.
 
E

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
All according to план
 
T

Torokil

Member
saGgNti.jpg
 
S

Shoeless

Member
pirata said:
Yep. Trump is a tool being used against us. He might even be too stupid to realize it, but he's doing everything he can to dismantle the world's most powerful country as quickly as possible without a direct invasion or nuclear attack. At this point, we need to come to terms with the fact that the Republican Party, for the most part, are the deadliest enemies we've ever had, and we need to start treating them as such.
Click to expand...

The most amazing part is he is doing this with the approval and enthusiasm of a segment of the American population. They actually want the US to abdicate its former global role, and somehow believe this will actually make the country a better place to live, rather than undergo the same decline that happened to the UK once it gave up its Imperial aspirations.
 
T

tuxfool

Banned
People forget that Bush strained relationships with allies too, Obama tried to rectify it, but now with Trump it just affirms to other countries that the US cannot be relied upon, seeing as it seesaws between decent and crazy.
 
C

Chaos2Frozen

Member
I don't see why any country would ever place their faith in America for the foreseeable future. in 8-12 years time you'll get another idiot for president and that's such a short timeframe
 
D

Dirca

Member
Capra said:
We now live in a world where I can't tell whether this is real or meme.
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We now live in a world where the South Park guys said they won't make satire of this because reality has become satire. Think about that for a moment
 
A

Armaros

Member
ldar247 said:
from the title I thought he got into an actual fist fight with another world leader lol

edit:






He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
Click to expand...

The fact that the GOP is standing up for him and making excuses for him mean that the problems are systematic.
 
E

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
Can someone explain why Melania and Ivanka dressed like they were at an Italian funeral? I don't get it. It's like they were punked.
 
I

idlewild_

Member
ldar247 said:
He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
Click to expand...

We've shown that we'll elect a leader like this, how can other countries trust it won't happen again. He's still overwhelmingly popular with Republicans.
 
G

gabbo

Member
ldar247 said:
from the title I thought he got into an actual fist fight with another world leader lol

edit:






He's only going to be president for like 3 more years at most. Can he really do that much damage in a short time?
Click to expand...

This very article proves that he can, and that while it may only be one term, a second (should some of his bullshit actually come back to bite the US in the ass) wouldn't be out of the question
 
L

Lys Skygge

Member
I'm traveling to Scotland and Iceland later this year. I'm going to be very embarrassed when I tell people that I'm from the United States.
 
D

danm999

Member
Spladam said:
I find myself trying to explain this to people a lot lately.
Click to expand...

Right. GWB was pretty terrible too but because of 9/11 lots of people were willing to give the US a mulligan. Now with Trump it's evident it's a thing that will just keep happening.
 
C

Chaos2Frozen

Member
Lys Skygge said:
I'm traveling to Scotland and Iceland later this year. I'm going to be very embarrassed when I tell people that I'm from the United States.
Click to expand...

Good luck trying to explain the nuisances of how the American election works.

As far as the everyday people around the world is concern, Americans voted for Donald Trump to be their President.
 
M

Mr.Mike

Member
The not affirming Article 5 is a legitimately huge deal. While I think a WW3 is still very unlikely, this would be one of the main steps necessary for it to happen.

And then the climate change thing is a huge deal too.
 
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