Germans Appalled by Threat From Trump’s Ambassador to Help Far-Right Nationalists Take Power
Germans Appalled by Threat From Trump’s Ambassador to Help Far-Right Nationalists Take Power Across Europe
The German government demanded a formal explanation from the United States on Monday of what, exactly, the new U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, meant when he promised to use his office to help far-right nationalists inspired by ( Read more... )
The German government demanded a formal explanation from the United States on Monday of what, exactly, the new U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, meant when he promised to use his office to help far-right nationalists inspired by ( Read more... )
Several people have commented lately that Trump himself is more comfortable with authoritarian leaders than with elected ones.
"He’d much prefer to be in Singapore than in Quebec,” said Thomas Wright, director of the Center on the US and Europe at the Brookings Institution. “He gets more annoyed with allies than enemies, and really doesn’t get on with the others at the G7. He is anti-free trade and allies, and pro-strongmen and authoritarian regimes.” (1)
"Still, foreign-policy experts see Trump’s most recent praise for strongmen like Duterte and dictators like Kim as part of a broader, more troubling pattern. On the campaign trail and in office, Trump has struggled to find a negative word to say about Russian president Vladimir Putin, even defending him when then-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly pointed out that Putin is “a killer.” (Trump’s response: “You think our country is so innocent?”) Last month, Trump offered kind words to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whom he hosted at the White House, for doing a “fantastic job” and called Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend his congratulations for successfully consolidating power. (Both leaders have overseen the imprisonment of thousands of dissidents, and more than 1,000 Egyptians have been sentenced to death in mass trials since Sisi overthrew his predecessor.) And in a surprising twist, despite the rapidly deteriorating relations between the U.S. and North Korea, Trump offered perplexingly warm words to Kim Jung Un this week, calling him a “smart cookie,” praising his ability to seize power at such a young age, and saying he would be “honored” to meet him in a pair of interviews. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment.)" (2)
Also: "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) questioned President Trump's relationships with world leaders on Sunday, saying he found it strange that Trump had difficulty "getting along" with U.S. allies, but was "comfortable" working with authoritarian leaders.
"I find it very strange that President Trump has such a hard time getting along with the leaders of the world's major democracies but feels very comfortable with despots and authoritarian leaders like [Vladimir] Putin, Xi Jinping, [Rodrigo] Duterte and Mohammad Bin Salman," Sanders said in a tweet, referring to the leaders of Russia, China, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia." (3)
References:
1. 'My touch, my feel': Trump shows his contempt for G7 allies: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/09/trump-g7-allies-comments-russia-north-korea
2. TRUMP JUST CAN’T STOP PRAISING AUTHORITARIANS: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/donald-trump-praising-authoritarians-rodrigo-duterte
3. Bernie Sanders: It's 'strange' that Trump is more comfortable with authoritarians than democratic leaders. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/391560-bernie-sanders-it-is-strange-that-trump-is-more-comfortable-with
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