Trump Is Smashing a ‘Phenomenal’ Deal He Already Has

4 comments

1. The tariffs aren’t meant to make economic sense – it’s trade policy by burn book. He’s an angry man taking out his grievances on the world.

2. Trump is a bully who was raised by his father to believe that the world is comprised of winners and losers.

   https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/trump-the-bully-how-childhood-military-school-shaped-the-future-president/

   He does not believe that win-win deals are possible. In his universe, there can be no winner without that win coming at the expense of the loser.

   This makes him a maximalist. Maximalists don’t look for middle ground. They try to pull everything to their side of the table and hang on for as long as possible before giving up.

   The meeting with Zelensky put Trump’s personality on display. Trump didn’t want to reach some grand compromise. Rather, he wanted to humiliate Zelensky in front of the cameras, then have Zelensky thank him for the punishment.

   Trump doesn’t want trade deals. He wants revenge masquerading as trade deals. He knows that European leaders see him as a clown and he wants them to pay.

   As is often the case with bullies, Trump does respect force. So if his opponents stand up to him and give no ground, he will eventually give up while trying to save face.

   Europeans inside and outside of the EU should unite and cede nothing. Trump is impressed by royalty, so an invitation from King Charles during which he is congratulated for his non-victory may be enough.

3. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and piss your pension contributions into the gutter, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? . . . . It’s, like, incredible.”

   D. Trump

4. Good possibility it is a very intentional destruction.

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