Trump continued to trample all over the newspapers set out to absorb his stuff at the G7 meetings in the otherwise-perfect south of France. It isn’t news to write that he appeared to tie himself into a noose during his bleats to the press. But, these particular utterings have bigger ramifications that ripple around the globe. As I wrote Friday, he had reached a tipping point. Forty-eight hours later, he’s descending faster than even the most cynical among us could imagine.
Astoundingly, he appeared to demonstrate some humanity in admitting to a reporter that he’d had “second thoughts” about the trade war with China and his latest actions.
“Yeah, sure, why not?”
Then he followed up in a way that caused everyone to check into which dimension they’d been flung.
“Might as well. Might as well,” he said, when asked again. “I have second thoughts about everything.”
Seeing as how he has no second thoughts about anything, ever, do I even have to add the “but”?
A wild statement from @PressSec: “The President was asked if he had ‘any second thought on escalating the trade war with China’. His answer has been greatly misinterpreted. President Trump responded in the affirmative – because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher.”
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) August 25, 2019
That is right, his only regret is not being more “himself” in punishing the world with his madness. “I regret being so unusually tepid. It goes against everything I believe in, which is me, and doing the most “me” as possible.” He did not say, but might as well have.
As I reported, breathlessly, yesterday – Trump confirmed that he believes he has the authority to order U.S. companies to end business with China. But – look out – he didn’t have any “plans” to do so right now.
Trump adds that while he can do it, he has no plans to declare a national emergency on China right now. Says “Actually we’re getting along very well with China right now. We’re talking. I think they want to make a deal much more than I do”
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) August 25, 2019
Which brings us back around to wondering what he could possibly have been thinking when he actually did, appear, to tweet out a “hereby” direct order?
He then went on to summarily get “owned” by best pal Boris Johnson, the U.K.’s own version of Donald Trump.
The press asked Trump if the G7 nations put any pressure upon him to end his trade wars, to which he arrogantly stated, “No,” they had not, but then needed to really show his moxie: “Nobody would tell me that.”
Having just declared himself beyond being questioned, that no one had that right or boldness, Boris – on behalf of the U.K. and sane people everywhere, said “Hold my beer.” It is this easy:
Just to register a faint sheeplike note of our view on the trade war: we’re in favor of trade peace on the whole, and dialing it down if we can.
We think that, on the whole, the U.K. has profited massively in the last 200 years from free trade, and that’s what we want to see … we don’t like tariffs on the whole.:
Note to Boris, I know you’re new, and near as despicable as Trump, but there’s nothing “sheeplike” about your statement, more “cruise missile-like” and far more sensible. Boris made the comment sitting right flipping next to Trump, which no Republican here dares to do.
By the way, you know your nation is fukt when Boris Johnson sounds like Aristotle compared to your “leader.”
Forty-eight hours of utter madness, and this particular madness didn’t occur under the womp-womp of chopper blades. It wasn’t directed at Elizabeth Warren. Nope, this consequential stuff came on the biggest stage in the world. It came during and around meetings with the seven most powerful Western nations, those nations with economies that can send the world reeling into chaos.
As I have said before, this is unsustainable, he has reached a tipping point from which he’ll never recover. But it’s not “just” personal to him, this time. He is screwing with big money, everyone’s money. Every acre of farmland in Iowa is worth less today than when Trump took office. But now, every stock sold is teetering on the brink of a fall, which means every dollar in your pocket or equity in your home could be set to fall. That is what recessions do.
His insanity has caused direct loss to farmers before, but it came during an expanding economy on the whole. Thus, it was tolerated. This is far worse because it causes instability that will hurt people across the nation.
The end began on Friday, and it took only forty-eight hours to really pick up speed. There is nowhere in the world to hide anymore, as Trump is proving on the biggest stage.
****
Peace, y’all.
Jason
The gibberish is the same as it has ever been, right? Don’t get me wrong, this is wonderfully written, as usual. I just don’t see much difference in what he is saying now, as opposed to his earlier adventures in word salads. I always thought that republicans would be fine with everything he did, as long as he didn’t screw with the money. I would LIKE to think this will be a tipping point for them. The Amazon would not be in flames right now, if trump had not insisted on going down this path with China. He is now literally murdering the planet. I just don’t know.
We already have too many examples of the terrible damage he enjoys inflicting when he’s just lashing out during a tantrum. We even see via his border detention policies where the administration admits cruelty is the whole point (as a deterrence) and he not only doesn’t give a fuck he enjoys THAT suffering he’s created too.
What is truly terrifying is the thought of his malignant narcissism combined with a desire to punish as many people as possible as harshly as possible and, like the border policies actually sort through options and engage in some rudimentary planning. Again, if he knows all is lost (so to speak) and that he’s going down he won’t just want to hurt & even destroy Democrats and our allies, but the world’s economy, security and even the environment – but he will also want every other person including the GOP/conservatives (and yes, his own family) to suffer just as much because in his diseased mind they will have failed in protecting him.
IOW, he’s going to take as many people as he can down with him. And he can launch nukes unless the few people in a position to intervene stop him. What will it take for the GOP to finally step in and help us end this madness? Frantic calls from the Joint Chiefs & CINCSAC that he’d ordering launches?
Well, as always you make a good point. I am coming from a place where his gibberish seems far more dangerous, he can personally, more than any one person anywhere, shake the economy into a tailspin, bc we are already teetering on the edge, and each move seems calculated to take us further over (which makes one truly wonder who is calling the shots, as Trump would appear to not be this good at perfectly placing the country for a recession.
I see him as increasing desperate, and desperate people are dangerous people, see the justification for ordering – or pretending to order – American business around trying to gain leverage over China.
The economy is the real danger, as all his previous gibberish has gone out to people who largely didn’t care. Now the economy is showing signs of getting bad, he is heading into an election year where he will likely be behind the entire time, and he’s the type that would likely take real shots at someone to attempt to get people behind him.
Finally, it’s a bigger danger now bc all the people who could restrain him are gone. He’s totally winging it now.
So, I do think it is worse, much more dangerous than before. But, I could be wrong. I am not trying to be an alarmist. As you recall, it was only recently I favored impeachment inquiry.
You bring up a good point, too. Who IS running the show? Trumps constant protestations that he is in charge, the boss, no one defies me, etc, etc, shows that he is again lying. If he was truly in charge, he would say absolutely nothing about it. We all know that when he says ANYTHING, the opposite is true. It isn’t just stephen miller who, as we know, is all about wiping brown people off the face of the earth. I don’t think it is just putin, either.
Permit me an utterly terrifying answer to your question, Cmae…nobody. Nobody is in charge. A scene from Apocalypse Now: Martin Sheen is at a bridge under siege, trying to find who’s in charge. He finally runs into the soldier called “The Roach”, nerve-fried, not a lot to say. Sheen asks Roach if he knows who’s in charge. Roach smiles at him, says “Yeah” and just walks away. THAT’S where we are.
Well, that could be so, too. That is utterly terrifying.
Jason,
I, too, have noticed an uptick in the gibberish factor. If I were an eminent psychologist I could tell you if this uptick presaged a dangerous mental health crisis, but alas I only have my uneducated opinion!
YES! I fear it does!
America has acted like the boiling frog. It seems paralyzed and doesn’t notice. Tubby the Ewok’s madness can and will visit monumental and long-lasting devastation world wide.
The boiling frog is a great way to put it. When money was being made by the only ones who mattered, they could entertain themselves, we could entertain ourselves, kids softball, whatever, and the band played on. Until things flew out of control, and it was too late to cap the damage. I do fear that is exactly what we’re going through.
When historians and poets look back, they will all talk about the signs being there all along, just no one could be bothered. If you’ve studied your history, it’s well-documented that up to 1938, the world thought Hitler was a nuisance, Japan confined to the East, and nothing untoward would happen.
I am not saying world war is ahead, our weapons – even non-nuclear – are essentially all weapons of mass destruction now, no one can afford a war in THEIR country. So it won’t be that. I suspect it will be a non-shooting war, economic chaos. Lots of people suffering.
We rang the bell early and often.
America is The Titanic, and that shuddering noise from The Dow is the iceberg.