A Big Fat Slap in Trump’s Face – UK Goes Its Own Way

 

A Big Fat Slap in Trump’s Face – UK Goes Its Own Way

As Donald John Trump, President of the United States and self-declared “acting President of Venezuela,” stood at the podium on January 21st at the Davos economic forum, and blew off what had been America’s allies, denigrating their contributions to American efforts. In particular, he denigrated the response of NATO allies after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC and the Pentagon, in which the US response was the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. NATO allies joined US forces, side-by-side. He insulted heads of state of several NATO nations by name, claiming they did nothing. Denmark, threatened almost daily to give up Greenland to the United States, saw a greater proportion of its troops in Afghanistan killed or wounded than the proportion of US forces there. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was deeply insulted, as news footage showed British Afghan casualties being shipped back home. A sad and impressive set of images. Even as Trump stated he would not invade Greenland, the damage has been done.

In that moment, on January 21st, Trump crossed a red line, a point of no return, decimated the remnants of trust that our own allies had kept intact until that moment. Trump’s speech also alienated most of the rest of the world, as Canada’s Prime Minister described the current status of US relations with its “allies” as no longer a “transition” but a permanent “rupture.” Trump continues to threaten countries – Cuba in his sights now – with tariffs if nations do not follow his lead. He is arresting journalists, claiming zero evidence that all the protesters in Minnesota are “paid agitators,” and his border Tsar, (taking Greg Bovino’s place), Tom Homan’s message to deescalate is falling on an extremely skeptical Minnesotans. A huge fleet is anchored near Iran, and a war with that beleaguered nation is quite possible.

The economy is shuddering from all the bad news, and I suspect unless Republicans in Congress stand up to this bully-fest, even knowing that MAGA extremists mostly like what they see… except for the “Epstein files,” which have been so redacted that half of the information been removed… they will face a blood bath in the midterms, which Trump continues to threaten he wants to cancel. The Trump-enabling, Constitution-evading Supreme Court has enabled the autocracy that runs the country today. Meanwhile, as the United States, which has made tons of trade deals with the China over the years, Trump watches Canada’s attempt to forge its own trade agreements with the Peoples’ Republic, threatening massive tariff increases if they make a deal Trump does not like… plus there is also a dispute over the sale of US aircraft into Canada, and vice versa.

But shortly after the Trump lost the last sliver of respect (vs bully intimidations) from most of the world, it was immediately apparent that our “allies” would deal with the United States solely out of necessity, rapidly finding ways to carve the United States out of relevancy to them.

While Trump had to apologize to Starmer over his slight about UK troops in Afghanistan, the UK Prime Minister immediately set a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a new trade agreement, a “strategic partnership” they called it, that would not include the US. Writing for the January 30th Associated Press, Ken Moritsugu and Jill Lawless, explain: “Neither Prime Minister Keir Starmer nor President Xi Jinping publicly mentioned President Trump, but Trump’s challenge to the post-Cold War order was clearly on their minds.

“‘In the current turbulent and ever-changing international situation ... China and the U.K. need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to maintain world peace and stability,’ Xi told Starmer at the start of their meeting… Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi had stressed, without mentioning the U.S. directly, that ‘major powers’ must adhere to international law or the world would regress into a ‘jungle.’

“Starmer said that ‘working together on issues like climate change, global stability during challenging times for the world is precisely what we should be doing.’… The two leaders met for 80 minutes — double the scheduled time — in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as their nations try to improve ties after several years of acrimony. Relations have deteriorated over allegations of Chinese spying in Britain, China’s support for Russia in its war on Ukraine, and the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, the former British colony that was returned to China in 1997…

“Xi appeared to acknowledge the criticism that Starmer has faced for reaching out to China despite national security and human rights concerns. The United Kingdom recently approved controversial plans for a huge Chinese Embassy in London, removing a sticking point in relations but also overriding fears that the ‘mega-embassy’ would make it easier for China to conduct espionage and intimidate dissidents.

“‘Good things often come with difficulties,’ Xi said… ’As long as it is the right thing to do in accordance with the fundamental interests of the country and its people, leaders will not shy away from difficulties and will forge ahead bravely.’’ Most of Europe was already negotiating with China or lining up to replace an untrustworthy United States with a trade powerhouse that could counter their turning away from the US.

While some Europeans feel sad for the plight of so many Americans who may never recapture the pre-Trump good life they once knew, they also blame US voters of reelecting a leader they already knew was megalomaniac… such that if even a Democratic leadership were elected someday, the prospect that Americans just might bring back a MAGA autocracy again weighs heavily on their reluctance to make any deal with the US. And it’s not just Europe. Trump seems to have alienated most of the rest of the world as well. The world is finding ways to marginalize the United States, and as international sporting events in the US (e.g., FIFA finals and the 2028 Olympics) loom, most believe that they will lose billions from those who will no longer travel to the US.

I’m Peter Dekom, and it is strange that so many Americans actually believe that their lives will improve under Trump’s isolationism and bully tactics… even as history has shown the damage isolationism can bring in modern world.