Trump sticks to his guns as he ends second trip to Europe
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembark from Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, July 8, 2017, following a 4-day trip to Poland and Germany for the G20 Summit. PHOTO | SAUL LOEB | AFP
What you need to know:
The G20 agreed that every country has the right to protect its markets with legitimate defence instruments.
Unfortunately, Trump insulted other peoples of the world in a speech in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, by claiming only western civilization is threatened, as if only his kind is.
Having promised supporters in last year’s campaign of boredom on his way to “Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump can be expected to claim triumph on returning from his second trip to Europe as president.
After all, at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, last week, he reportedly faced-off Russian President Vladimir Putin over what the US intelligence community asserts was Russian meddling in the country’s elections to influence the outcome in Trump’s favour.
That’s a ridiculous face-off. Even kids in a kindergarten don’t admit wrongdoing unless whipped numb.
WASTED MONEY
Trump couldn’t accomplish that with Putin. The American got the obvious reply: Nyet! Trump wasted national time and money.
Trump’s next victory, potentially pyrrhic, was concessions by other G20 countries on trade and climate.
The United States can go its way while, again as it wishes, cooperating with other nations.
As Trump wants it, the US isn’t going to be bound by such niceties like the international deal in Paris on matters climate, et al.
DEFENCE INSTRUMENTS
The G20 agreed that every country has the right to protect its markets with legitimate defence instruments, meaning laws, tariffs, et al, all already operative as par every nation’s interests, anyway. Not much victory there.
On his way to Humbug, he stopped in Poland, Germany’s neighbour. He heaped the country with praises, most deserved.
Poland is one of European countries—even Finland, which learned never to invade—liked to kick around for centuries.
Unfortunately, Trump insulted other peoples of the world in a speech in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, by claiming only western civilization is threatened, as if only his kind is.
He would be surprised to know gorillas are pretty much civilized, minus Jacuzzis.
COLD WAR
In short, all that Trump achieved was a “Damn the torpedoes; full steam ahead.” Well, like persons, nations survive on scratching each other’s back.
To borrow from the Cold War phraseology, that’s called, peaceful co-existence.
Plausibly, the G20 nations, without saying so, agreed to let the troublesome novice in the neighbourhood take cantankerousness elsewhere so us to continue with matters of consequence. Another triumph for Trump? God willing!
