That doesn’t really matter, it is what these events signal for those who oppose him, and those who support him (with violence).
Well the point Trump makes when stripping Bolton, Fauci, etc, of their security detail is financial. His argument is that they made a lot of money from the US government and they should now start paying for their own security, which he claims they can afford, instead of expecting the government to pay for it for the rest of their lives.
Obviously his actions are totally vindictive but I can understand how his argument might resonate with many Americans.
I don't think Trump is encouraging or expecting violence to be committed to those whose security detail he has withdrawn because firstly he expects, quite rightly, that they will continue to have security, and secondly because if anything happens to them it will likely damage him politically.
If for example Iran carries out their alleged desire to assassinate Bolton it will be of zero benefit to Trump if they succeed, and it will give his opponents a stick to beat him with.
Edit : Btw for clarity I don't believe that Iran has any intention of assassinating Bolton or any other US politician. But can you imagine if they were able to successfully...... what damage such a breach of security that would do to any US president ?!?!
I can understand how his argument might resonate with many Americans.
Did Trump refuse his state paid secret service security detail for the last 4 years and will he refuse to do so when his presidency ends? Genuine question that I don't know the answer to, but if he didn't then it's simply hypocrisy
^^^ makes him look human.
Apparently not, I understand that Fauci will be paying for his own security. It will obviously make him worse off financially though!
That doesn’t really matter, it is what these events signal for those who oppose him, and those who support him (with violence).
One of his tactics to intimidate others is to punish them by forcing them to spend huge amounts of their own money to defend themselves in court whilst he uses the State to prosecute them, or, as in these cases, to provide their own protection against the mob he has whipped into a violent frenzy.
There's some great interviews with Canadian politicians on YouTube in response to Trumps suggestion that they become part of the US to support tariffs.
I particularly liked the guy (possibly former Canadian PM) who hoped that Trump Tower had a lot of candles ready, given where New York apparently gets it's electricity from.
That would be funny if it ever proved to be true .
Well, what a surprise! Trump's outcome for Gaza (and the West Bank) corresponds exactly with his pal Netanyahu's.
So it turns out that Donald Trump is quite a fan of Keir Starmer.
Trump praises Starmer for doing 'very good job'
That shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone - why wouldn't Donald Trump like Keir Starmer? I am sure they both have quite a lot in common - Trump will want the UK to do as he says and Starmer will want to do as the US tells him, that is the basis of the Special Relationship which Starmer strongly supports after all.
Well that wouldn't have come as a surprise if it wasn't for the fact that only three months Trump was claiming that Starmer's party is "far-left".
So it can only mean that either Trump has gone all far-left himself or, more likely, that he has realised how much in common he has with Starmer.
Donald Trump claim that ‘Far-Left Labour’ is interfering in US election flatly rejected by Cabinet minister
Trump praises Starmer for doing ‘very good job’
Trump just says whatever is convenient to him in the moment. Next week he'll be ranting about Starmer being a radical left-wing socialist if it suits him. His words mean nothing.
Or it might be that Trump is a dick who says whatever comes into his head without checking any facts or even his previous spouting.
Good of him to give you the opportunity to point out Starmers flaws again on yet another thread though.
Or it might be that Trump is a dick who says whatever comes into his head without checking any facts or even his previous spouting.
Oh he's a dick alright but he knows exactly what he is saying when he attacks or praises people. I wouldn't cut him that much slack.
And you don't think that all that grovelling to Trump by David Lammy paying off is newsworthy? Well plenty of news providers seem to disagree, and considering what a dick you apparently think that Trump is I am surprised that you are apparently indifferent.
And you don’t think that all that grovelling to Trump by David Lammy paying off is newsworthy?
Governments of all colours have had to "grovel" on order to try and keep the international world functioning. This is not a Starmer/Lammy thing, not even a UK thing. However much I don't always like them having to do it.
Though if Trump "delivers" half the international **** ups he's threatening, then I can see the wider international order deciding they've had enough and doing their thing without him.
Well considering how much despised on STW Donald Trump is I would be very surprised if punters on here were quite so generous towards a Tory Foreign Secretary grovelling and talking shite about Trump.
But perhaps you are right.
What if the groveling doesn’t work?
What if Trump takes troops into Greenland? Will other world leaders still be searching for ways to compliment him?
https://www.ft.com/content/ace02a6f-3307-43f8-aac3-16b6646b60f6
Many … had hoped his comments about seeking control of Greenland … were a negotiating ploy to gain more influence over the Nato territory … But the call with Frederiksen has crushed such hopes … “The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode”… “The Danes are utterly freaked out by this.”
Not sure this can be won by the leaders of any country… state your position, be polite, be diplomatic, pay him lipservice, hope to get through the next few years with minimum Trump inflicted damage. Don’t attack him, because he sure as hell will hit out in response. But this approach might not, and should not, survive his first outright attack on another country. Pretending he doesn’t mean what he says only works until he acts. Once he does… then what?
https://www.politico.eu/article/united-kingdom-david-lammy-donald-trump-love-bombing/
“The Donald Trump I met was a man who had incredible grace, generosity, very keen to be a good host, very funny, very friendly, very warm about the U.K., our royal family, Scotland,” Lammy said of the incoming Republican.
Who knew that Donald Trump has incredibly grace, is generous, very funny, very friendly, and very warm?
You can be foreign secretary without using shite like that to describe a despot. It's really not necessary and frankly embarrassing.
Every time I hear Lammy embarrassing himself I think of poor old Bernie Grant spinning in his grave.
Governments of all colours have had to “grovel” on order to try and keep the international world functioning.
Ah yes, bowing the knee to facism, that's the latest "grown up politics" capitulation.
It isn't real world practicality, it isn't grown up, it is cowardice, it is pathetic and it is going to lead to us all living our lives on our knees.
Well, what a surprise! Trump’s outcome for Gaza (and the West Bank) corresponds exactly with his pal Netanyahu’s.
Or vice versa.
For clarity I didn't mean to describe Trump as a despot earlier, he might be a lot of things but it wouldn't be fair to describe him as a despot. I meant to say demagogue which imo describes him perfectly, certainly better than David Lammy's most recent description.
It isn’t real world practicality, it isn’t grown up, it is cowardice, it is pathetic and it is going to lead to us all living our lives on our knees.
Of course, there's a line that can't be crossed, and as I stated, I hope that leaders are prepared to stand up to him when they have to.
Janey Godley was right all along
I hope that leaders are prepared to stand up to him when they have to.
Apparently the Prime Minister of Denmark has told him right where to get off in a discussion about Greenland and Trump is already threatening specific targeted economic sanctions against Denmark.
I would think that’s going to be approach to anyone who doesn’t rush to bend the knee. We’re not talking about dealing with a rational actor here, we’re talking about a petulant toddler with a penchant for bullying
CBA
Trump is already threatening him with specific targeted economic sanctions
Her, got to get that right!
He's also suggested enforced repatriation of the entire population of Gaza this afternoon. Astounding, (in a bad way).
Janey Godley was right all along
We knew that all along, but it's good to remind ourselves once in a while
Apparently the Prime Minister of Denmark has told him right where to get off in a discussion about Greenland and Trump is already threatening specific targeted economic sanctions against Denmark.
Trump v1.0 was full of bluster and bullshit, but I'm increasingly concerned that this time he is going to actually do something batshit crazy and splinter NATO.
Imagine putting your name forward to be US president in just under four years time, when senile orange geriatric is supposed to not even be considered after a total of eight years.
Can see USA becoming very insular under Trump v2.0 and the next president having a huge amount of burnt bridges on the international front needing to be built again from the ground up.
Colombia declining to accept repatriations on military flights (and I think Mexico were planning on similar) resulting in sanction / tariff diplomacy from the poorly taxidermied orangutan.
Feels like we (as in the international community) are edging ever closer to definitive "pick a side" territory..
Can see USA becoming very insular under Trump v2.0 and the next president having a huge amount of burnt bridges on the international front needing to be built again from the ground up.
Only if the average Trump voter isn't feeling better off, otherwise his successor will be voted in to carry on.
Brazil are also kicking back after repatriated people arrived in handcuffs.
Feels like we (as in the international community) are edging ever closer to definitive “pick a side” territory..
I agree. Also think the quicker we start to pick our side (please God let Starmer puck the right one) the better. It might calm him down and rein him in before he invades Canada.
I was amused by seeing trump complaining that europe sells loads of cars to the us but buys few of theirs. Simple reason. US cars are not as good as European ones: are unlikely to meets our safety standards and are unsuitable for European roads.
Tarrifs on the way?
Think I'm going to risk visiting a few military personnel forums, maybe a couple of US specific ones.
I'm sure China is going to get very friendly with some pissed off nations very soon.
Trump v1.0 was full of bluster and bullshit
I think at least 1 house was controlled by Democrats to temper his power then. Now Republicans have both. Fingers crossed for the mid terms.
unlikely to meets our safety standards
also used as a way to restrict imports without calling them tariffs. Japan used to do this ruthlessly- standards could change and manufacturers that had vehicles on the water then had to pay Japanese companies to rectify them once they landed before they could sold in Japan
Colombia's position is that they will "receive our fellow citizens on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals" and said migrants must be returned "with dignity and respect". So I'm mostly expecting the US to just do exactly that, since it's such a trivial thing to arrange and the whole military flights thing is just a stunt, and then Colombia will accept the next flight and Trump will declare victory. We've already seen this with Mexico, he hyped up a nonexistant problem, then pretended it'd been solved and that he'd achieved something. What really matters to them isn't winning, it's giving the impression of winning
FB-ATB
Full MemberI think at least 1 house was controlled by Democrats to temper his power then. Now Republicans have both. Fingers crossed for the mid terms.
The other thing was that last time the gop was so divided. Not that they were out in protest or anything but they weren't moving in unity, they'd support things but often not facilitate them etc. Fundamentally he could get votes etc but he lacked an org that actually got things done, he and his team fundamentally had no idea how to work the levels of government. And in the absence of that, Trump's zero attention span meant stuff just didn't happen because it took too much work.
This time round he has much more of that, in fact a ton of the agenda isn't even his, so he only has to agree to things that other people want and those people will then make it happen. Very different.
On Lammy and his response meeting Trump. Again you have see this while remembering Trump is a psychopath. One of the characteristics of psychopathy is that the can be very charming when they want something from someone so its perfectly plausible that what Lammy said was true.
Northwind
Full MemberColombia’s position is that they will “receive our fellow citizens on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals” and said migrants must be returned “with dignity and respect”. So I’m mostly expecting the US to just do exactly that, since it’s such a trivial thing to arrange and the whole military flights thing is just a stunt, and then Colombia will accept the next flight and Trump will declare victory. We’ve already seen this with Mexico, he hyped up a nonexistant problem, then pretended it’d been solved and that he’d achieved something. What really matters to them isn’t winning, it’s giving the impression of winning
Well 5 hours later and it seems I was almost right, it's being reported that Colombia are offering to provide planes in order to end the military flights. This is being presented as "folding" and will let Trump have a victory, while also getting exactly what the Colombian president demanded. Not done and dusted yet though, basically depends how wedded Trump is to his performative cruelty PR stunt of using military planes for no reason.
The maths on this are just hilarious though, according to DOD figures the C17 they sent to Guatemala with 80 people on board cost $250000. The last repatriation flight sent to Guatemala under Biden used a civilian airliner chartered for just under $10000. Watching people who live in mobile homes getting aroused because Trump's blown $3000 per person on a publicity stunt is just amazing. And yet the same people are just as excited at the idea of Colombia picking up the few thousand dollars tab to normalise things again.
Trump v1.0 was full of bluster and bullshit, but I’m increasingly concerned that this time he is going to actually do something batshit crazy and splinter NATO.
Trump v1.0 was president when there was still some semblance of "sensible" old school GOP within the ranks. Look at all the people in his first administration that left and what they now say about him, e.g. Bolton, Tillerson, Barr...
Since then the MAGA purge has happened and there's nobody left to tell him no. In fact the ones he's put in position are very much in lock step with [s]his vision[/s] Putin's vision for pillaging America.
I was amused by seeing trump complaining that europe sells loads of cars to the us but buys few of theirs. Simple reason. US cars are not as good as European ones: are unlikely to meets our safety standards and are unsuitable for European roads.
Tarrifs on the way?
It's not so much a trade imbalance as the US just not really exporting many cars to anywhere. The US makes a lot of cars, but only exports about 5% of what it makes
Never mind Europe as a whole, The little old right hand drive UK - where we seem to think we don't really make cars anymore - exports more cars around the world than the US. 80% of UK made cars are exported. But only a small portion of those go to the US.
Mexico and Canada are the US's largest (and most obvious) export markets but even then the numbers exported are surprisingly small
Last time the industrialists and the markets paid him lip service but not their full support, this time they realise how they can use him fully for their advantage and reshape the world. I don't think he has changed, it is what is queuing up behind him that is the bigger problem, and they are not just targeting the US.
I don't think the world can sit this one out and expect sanity to prevail in 4 years time.
I wonder if the Greenland thing is anything to do with this. Massive profits and costs in the USA
Energy. It has huge fossil fuel potential, while also having the resources needed for renewable energy production and use.
The US makes a lot of cars, but only exports about 5% of what it makes
I suspect that what will be more important will be the sources of components. U.S. manufacturers might assemble a lot of cars, but there will be components from Mexico, Canada, Asia, etc. in them. Components might be shipped across borders multiple times as they are built up into sub-assemblies, assembled into complete cars, and then finally sold.
