Trump brags world leaders are ‘kissing my ass’ over tariffs (www.independent.co.uk)
from Hubi@feddit.org to world@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 07:09
https://feddit.org/post/10493880

#world

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Gudl@feddit.org on 09 Apr 07:14 next collapse

Please die.

MuskyMelon@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 07:33 next collapse

No no just a massive stroke so he’s incapacitated but able to move his little hands and to barely speak. Let it be constitutional crisis when he refuses to step down cause of his ego and the Repugs are too scared to remove him.

random_character_a@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 08:29 next collapse

I like where this is going. Trump being dependent on other people for the rest of his life, who secretly hate him.

runeko@programming.dev on 09 Apr 10:35 next collapse

Like his entire life up to and including now?

Cheems@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 11:19 collapse

Someone would smother him in his sleep or awake. Either way I don’t know someone would smother him

random_character_a@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 11:58 collapse

Why be so humane?

Slowly poisoning him with household chemicals. Trump has a morbid fear of being poisoned. That’s why he eats fast food garbage.

itisileclerk@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 09:41 next collapse

I think that Hollywood is working on that script. That would be a major blockbuster.

andallthat@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 11:51 collapse

Brain damage,just moves hands and can barely speak coherently… Wait, did he acrually have a stroke?

MuskyMelon@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:02 next collapse

That “secret” visit to Walter Reed…

sensiblepuffin@lemmy.funami.tech on 09 Apr 20:38 collapse

Oh, the one where they gave him a heart transplant? That’s my theory, anyway.

Souroak@lemmy.sdf.org on 09 Apr 12:57 collapse

No, he specifically told us that he did not have a series of mini strokes.

Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:17 collapse

It’s not OP’s fault.

Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 07:30 next collapse

Every world leader, I image except for a few, want you to fuck off.

If your ass is being kissed it’s either:

They are desperate to save their people from harm, and unlike you they can’t just start a world war when they get threatened.

or

An American is near and they think you’re superhuman because of your job.

Rentlar@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 07:35 next collapse

Trump doesn’t want deals, he doesn’t want American success. He wants ass-kissing which he is ostensibly getting a lot of right now. So if tariffs are a huge success in this regard, why take them away?

Jimius@discuss.tchncs.de on 09 Apr 07:39 next collapse

Zelensky has the most to lose. And even he is not doing anything that could be construed as “ass kissing”.

So it’s a total fabrication, which is not odd coming from a guy who ordered a 4 mile military parade to celebrate his birthday.

Skiluros@sh.itjust.works on 09 Apr 09:22 collapse

I am Ukrainian and I was really proud of Zelenskyy and the way he interacted with new administration. He kept his cool while also letting them the current administration know (in a subtle manner) that there is a big gulf between their pipe dreams and reality.

Aviandelight@mander.xyz on 09 Apr 11:57 collapse

I’m American and I am in complete awe of Zelenakyy. Humanity gets so few people of his quality in a lifetime. He is truly inspirational.

alanjaow@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 15:55 collapse

I feel like he is closer to the norm than we think. We should all strive to be like that, rather than relegating it to random chance. We should also demand more of our leaders.

sensiblepuffin@lemmy.funami.tech on 09 Apr 20:40 collapse

The best rulers are those who hate the idea of ruling. The best leaders are those who are thrust into the situation. What we should be taking away from all of this is that no one who wants power should be given any.

Saleh@feddit.org on 09 Apr 07:48 next collapse

And this is why Ireland, France and others weakening the EU response to US tariffs for alcoholic beverages is dangerous. This is only encouraging him and he will use any sign of weakness to bolster himself.

Chainweasel@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 09:42 next collapse

Hopefully the optics of them kissing Trump’s ass will piss the populous off enough that they put pressure on their leaders to not take his shit.

CileTheSane@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 19:02 collapse

Give Trump an inch and he’ll think he’s a ruler

Yoga@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 07:49 next collapse

The places are probably developing countries with GDP per capita under $2000

I doubt any well conected country is doing that when america is clearly the underdog in a “civilized world vs america” situation. Tax American services, impose controls on yank companies operating domestically or just size their assets all together. What are they gonna do? Go cry to the WTO?

…wikipedia.org/…/Dispute_settlement_in_the_World_…

Trump literally lobotomized it and Europe had to put together a parallel judgement body. No shot it won’t be biased against the US

Hubi@feddit.org on 09 Apr 08:18 next collapse

The places are probably developing countries with GDP per capita under $2000

I think the chances that he’s just flat out lying are higher.

Yoga@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 08:29 collapse

Just look through this page and tell me if you weren’t the leader you wouldn’t be begging to be spared:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Madagascar

I imagine there are other countries too that are going to be devastated by the tariffs.

Skua@kbin.earth on 09 Apr 11:20 collapse

He's hitting countries like this the hardest too due to his ChatGPT-special formula for calculating tariffs. America has big trade deficits with poorer countries because they are too poor to buy much American stuff, and now he's punishing them for it

Yoga@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 15:50 collapse

It’s really reprehensible. Having low wages makes these countries reliant on exporting. They are being exploited for the benefit of richer countries and what to they get as thanks? Tariffs.

drunkosaurus@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 09 Apr 12:54 collapse

What are they gonna do? Go cry to the WTO?

Start a world war. I fully expect this within the next 4 years. The easiest and most surefire way for him to stay in charge: an “emergency” (that he started)

Litebit@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 07:57 next collapse

They are trying to squeeze the tariff wokism out of you, trump.

Yoga@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 07:57 next collapse

It’s unclear where the Trump administration stands on the tariffs, whose cost will be largely paid by American consumers in the form of higher prices for foreign goods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News Tuesday that the tariffs are “negotiable but not a negotiating tactic.”

Trump said Monday that there could be both “permanent tariffs and there could also be negotiations.”

This feels like the start of a really stupid riddle.

I’m negotiable but not a negotiation tactic, I’m permanent but subject to change…

BenVimes@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 10:17 collapse

Or a 90s indie song.

catloaf@lemm.ee on 09 Apr 11:19 collapse

It almost fits Alanis’ Hand in my Pocket.

BenVimes@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 13:24 collapse

I was thinking Flagpole Sitta, but that works too

taanegl@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 08:16 next collapse

Yes, because they know they’ll get somewhere if they coddle the hell out of his narcissistic ego - which is probably part of what he wanted.

Sorry, guys, but he’s crashing your economy for dopamine generated from validation.

b161@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 09 Apr 09:26 next collapse

Trump can also levitate, heal cancer with his mind, and all his golf shots are hole-in-ones.

Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:16 next collapse

He also invented the helicopter, the rocket and the x-ray machine.

habitualTartare@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 13:20 collapse

Did you see he won the golf tournament? It’s good to win. You hear he won right? Did you hear he won? /S youtu.be/zBflZLStKQg&t=300

Suoko@feddit.it on 09 Apr 09:28 next collapse

he deserves an AI image describing his words…

hikuro93@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 09:52 next collapse

And sadly the over 50 countries now desperately calling the White House to beg negotiate are just inflating and reinforcing the Trump administration’s ego and postponing the inevitable.

Who would have guessed. Said as much in another post this is what happens when you appease to narcissistic bullies. You get further trampled on and they become bolder.

No matter how much it would be better if we all got along well as before. This is the new reality, and even if we hurt right now we’ll come out on top in the long run, better and more self-reliant, while the US becomes isolated from the world.

Hope everyone remembers this when the US falls and comes “kissing out collective asses” for sympathy.

xenomor@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 10:23 next collapse

I hope other countries realize that entering into trade agreements with the United States is a meaningless endeavor given that we don’t believe we have any responsibility to abide by agreements that we make anymore. We are an entirely unreliable partner.

Mooseford@lemmy.today on 09 Apr 23:39 collapse

Anymore? Native Americans would have a word with you.

mPony@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 10:25 next collapse

KICKING

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 09 Apr 11:27 next collapse

They’re very obviously not, though. This is some newspeak bullshit.

gurnu@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:40 next collapse

Well, Finnish “leaders” are discussing one-on-one deals with the US, it’s not exactly taking a strong stance against Trump’s bullying… More like bending the knee to save their own investments

in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Apr 00:01 collapse

And Keir Starmer practically has Trumps entire dick down his throat with Trumps balls on his face, and that’s before any negotiations.

nargis@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Apr 12:43 collapse

India is kissing Trump’s arse, unfortunately. They are considering removing tariffs even more than they did before the announcement. Though there’s a UK-India deal floating around as well, and talks with the EU. This might just be anti-China opportunism, though. Apple and Samsung announced that they’re moving their factories to India because of the tariffs.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 10 Apr 12:44 collapse

I mean, orangeboi was and is Modi’s role model. This is completely unsurprising.

nargis@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Apr 12:50 collapse

I think he personally admires Netanyahu far more, considering how much his party tactics copy Israel but yeah, birds of a feather.

the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 11:39 next collapse

And by saying that he is admitting the true reason hes is doing it, narcissism.

Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:15 collapse

Not that he ever tried to hide it.

GustavoFring@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:26 next collapse

These world leaders go to a different school but they totally exist honest

StopTouchingYourPhone@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 12:29 next collapse

Heard it on my morning news program here in Canada. “I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything, sir,” he chuckled. Sounded like he was making fun of an abuse victim. Like that time he mocked the disabled. Filthy predator.

That any media outlet is featuring his latest truth claim in an uncontested headline is wild. Look at the amount of commentary already produced that assumes his version of events is what’s actually happening.

sensiblepuffin@lemmy.funami.tech on 09 Apr 20:37 collapse

We’ve already seen that the media don’t have anyone’s best interests at heart but the elite. We have to stop expecting them to change.

Baphomet_The_Blasphemer@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 13:22 next collapse

Feel like he mispronounced “kicking”.

kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 13:54 next collapse

At best, world leaders may be trying to salvage their current investments in the US and trade sources in the short term. But they are also immediately starting the process to divest from the US, maybe permanently. He may get a short term gain from a handful of countries, but is tanking us long term as everyone distances themselves from us.

Trade, investments, debts, these things bind countries together and promote better economies the world-wide. The point of Tariffs are to reduce or eliminate these connections to other countries in the effected markets, to isolate and insulate your domestic market from the international market at large. When you put a blanket tariff on all markets on all countries, especially when openly trying to use those as extortion tactics against other countries, you are guaranteeing this isolation. We are well on the way from being isolated from the world, like North Korea, all because of one man without any sense, decency, or limitations. We are fucked.

tomenzgg@midwest.social on 09 Apr 15:08 next collapse

He may get a short term gain

He was elected to run the government like a business; this is the CEO signature move.

dvoraqs@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 15:36 collapse

Like a WWE Superstar suplexing the opponent (his own country) to show dominance? Gotcha

Wanpieserino@lemm.ee on 09 Apr 15:21 next collapse

He’s 78, do you really think he cares? He wants to be in history books, must have hurt a lot that nobody gave him any attention during Biden’s term

Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 09 Apr 17:49 next collapse

He’s going to end up in the History books with roughly the same level of infamy as Nero.

sensiblepuffin@lemmy.funami.tech on 09 Apr 20:37 collapse

Instead of a fiddle it’ll be a Big Mac

Mooseford@lemmy.today on 09 Apr 23:37 collapse

“Oh what a gourmet dies in me.”?

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 17:50 next collapse
kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 23:27 collapse

I miss those… what, 2 months(?) that he wasn’t in the news cycle.

madcaesar@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 21:26 collapse

Short term burst that fuck the future is the Republican MO.

Then a Democrat will come in and fail to clean up all of the broken shit immediately, and the stupid electorate will swing right again.

It’s a fucking endless circle

floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 09 Apr 15:33 next collapse

He really has no idea what “diplomacy” means does he

jenni007@lemm.ee on 09 Apr 15:56 next collapse

Politicians must always aim to be statesmen and stateswomen… and use language representative of that role.

Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de on 09 Apr 20:56 collapse

But they didn’t vote a politician as president this time.

HubertManne@piefed.social on 09 Apr 17:08 next collapse

That is not how you spell kicking.

index@sh.itjust.works on 09 Apr 18:23 next collapse

That’s what a trillion dollar in “defense” grants you, everyone kissing your ass.

ProfHillbilly@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 18:39 next collapse

But now the military is looking to cut 90k of troops.

index@sh.itjust.works on 09 Apr 19:00 collapse

they are still in the trillion range even after cuts

Jhex@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 18:59 collapse

hmmm I am increasingly believing how ineffective the USA would be against a real enemy… the USA loves to chicken hawk on third world countries on the other side of the planet… but now trumpf is poking China hard… WWIII is heating up

index@sh.itjust.works on 09 Apr 19:03 collapse

hmmm I am increasingly believing how ineffective the USA would be against a real enemy… the USA loves to chicken hawk on third world countries on the other side of the planet…

How do you think they chicken hawk people on the other side of the planet? Are you aware of the scale of USA army and what they do?

Jhex@lemmy.world on 10 Apr 01:03 collapse

meaning i’m not sure how well things would go against an anemy that is not fighting with smuggled 25 year old equipment and unable to strike usa territory

index@sh.itjust.works on 10 Apr 10:50 collapse

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act

Jhex@lemmy.world on 10 Apr 12:27 collapse

I have no idea what point you are trying to make here

Adderbox76@lemmy.ca on 09 Apr 20:44 next collapse

I’m sure that’s what his handlers tell him while they’re changing his diaper.

ByteJunk@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 21:47 collapse

As disgusting as it is, that seems to be exactly what most of the world seems to be doing, trying to get into trump’s good grace and not get fucked by the tariffs.

Well except for China, who seems to have slapped back just as hard.

TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 22:18 next collapse

People have been thinking Trump will let China invade Taiwan. Like, no. Trump is vehemently anti-China from the beginning in any shape or form. So, in that respect, China knows there is no pleasing the orangecrat and therefore doubling down on tariffs will not lose them with anything more. Besides, the tariffs is actually making China and EU come closer together-- as strange as it sounds.

ByteJunk@lemmy.world on 10 Apr 07:52 collapse

As China boosts its internal consumption and increases standards of living, along with a growing highly educated population, I can see their values very much aligning with the EU. That sounds like a very decent world order…

conditional_soup@lemm.ee on 09 Apr 22:27 collapse

I’m mostly sure that they’re only doing so as a stop gap. Re-alignment takes time, and we’ve sent a loud and clear message that we don’t want to be anybody’s friend anymore. Even if we get Cyber-Bernie 3000 for president in four years, the damage will still be done, and there will always be the lingering understanding that we may just turn around and directly elect Elon Musk as president (don’t fucking talk to me about constitutionality without telling me you’ve been in a coma for the last year first).

AoxoMoxoA@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 21:57 next collapse

They aren’t though

Geobloke@lemm.ee on 09 Apr 22:07 collapse

He’s trying to sell his tariffs to the choir, but the choir isn’t listening any more

[deleted] on 09 Apr 22:29 next collapse
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DarkWinterNights@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 22:42 next collapse

The article is a Trump hallucination.

He’s not wrong that leaders flatter him; but it’s not respect, it’s geopolitical strategy. They’re managing chaos, hedging with China and others, and responding to a weaker US position largely created by Trump himself. This isn’t strength; it’s a soft power collapse that’s opening dangerous doors, mainly for Americans most of all, but likely for everyone else too.

What Trump sees as deference is actually diplomatic triage. World leaders aren’t engaging him because they admire him; leaders are trying to keep the global order from unraveling faster than it already is. The cost of alienating the U.S. is high, but increasingly, so is relying on it. That shift is the real story, and it’s one that leaves America more isolated with each bluster.

IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Apr 07:14 collapse

Pragmatism =/= Kissing ass

Its like a cop thinking: wow, people really respect me

No they don’t lol, the moment you’re not looking, they are gonna graffiti ACAB on the police car you’re driving.