The Trump Administration Is Stepping into a Diplomatic Mine Field without

[MineralMan]

a map. Nikki Haley, the new Ambassador to the UN, just got done threatening our own allies. She said that if they don't have our back, she'll retaliate. That is not done, especially in public. Period.

Trump himself called Theresa May "Therisa" instead of Prime Minister May at their joint press conference. That shows a lack of respect for her position in that office. They aren't personal friends. They are two national leaders. That was a gaffe.

It's becoming apparent that nobody in the Trump Administration has any experience in the diplomatic world of international relations. Unless they start following centuries-old protocols and etiquette, they're going to be seen as arrogant bullies, and that's never good.

Insulting your allies, threatening your friends, and embarrassing heads of state is going to create massive problems for Trump and his merry band of novices. They desperately need to be schooled by a take-charge Chief of Protocol who can instruct them on how the hell to behave with their international equals.

Every head of state sees him or herself as an equal to every other head of state. It's an exclusive society of people who have achieved the pinnacle of power in their own nations. Most of them are narcissists in their own right, to be truthful. But, they know how to behave themselves or they find themselves out of the conversation.

Trump needs to get a handle on this and soon, or things are going to get ugly internationally very quickly. An international incident is just a word or two away in that weird society of powerful people.

I can picture Trump addressing the Queen of England as "Liz." He should not do that, I think.

[Mister Ed]

1. I suspect that Steve Bannon is their de facto Chief of Protocol, and that this is the result. n/t

[MineralMan]

2. They'd better hope not. He's not only clueless

about diplomacy, he is a rank bully personally.

But, I don't know why I'm offering advice to that lot in the first place. Let the assholes go right ahead and create international incidents. The sooner they fail, the better, I suppose.

At the same time, I don't want to see our relations with other country deteriorate, and they could, very easily.

Imagine this: Trump gets introduced to Angela Merkel and addresses her as "Angie." Uff da!

[bdamomma]

5. oh he is a bully

what did he say, tell the media to shut up??????

He is a sickie too.

[Raster]

62. Bannon needs to crawl back into his bourbon bottle...

...and accelerate his cirrhosis. Human scum, plain and simple. That Adolph Bannon would be ANYWHERE NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE is an indication just how immoral and decrepit this "administration" actually is.

[bdamomma]

3. well all those who voted for him

apparently do not care what the Rest of the World thinks.

tRump is disgrace to us and the office he stole and our country.

damn

[dalton99a]

4. Low-class thugs in business suits with official government titles.

[MineralMan]

7. An apt description, I think.

Especially Bannon, who is about the crudest individual I've even in a position like he holds. He's going to insult everyone, and doesn't even know that it's a bad idea.

[malaise]

26. I prefer to call them arrogant

uncouth thugs. I know many working class folks who have manners and understand protocol.

The mafia dons are in charge

[Fantastic Anarchist]

70. Even Mafia Dons know how respectfully engage each other.

The Mafia knows about the rules of diplomacy. These fucks don't have a clue. They have only one way of behaving, and can't adapt to different social situations like normal people.

[malaise]

71. These are sick scumbags to whom rules apparently

do not apply - or are yet to be enforced in a serious way

[uponit7771]

45. +1

[Vogon_Glory]

6. The faster the complacent idiots who either voted R or didn't vote at all

wise up and realize that we're living in a nightmare, the better, and if Divine Prrovidence has mercy on our people and on befallen republic, the sooner we can begin to end it.

Many of the R's are unreachable, but there may be a few who'll remember what's what if reality hits them with a 2x4 hard and often enough.

So far Trump and the Rethuglies are coasting on the Obama recovery and most of us have our health plans. That WILL change.

[gratuitous]

8. Foreign policy conducted as a pro wrestling feud

The rest of the world is not nearly as stupid as the average Trump voter (some Trump voters are quite well-informed about how to profit from his reckless and irresponsible behavior and support him in his madness for that reason).

[MineralMan]

11. Well said. So far, the Trump team

does look a lot like a Tag team at a pro wrestling match. Weird that they don't even understand that they're screwing up.

[uponit7771]

46. +1, .... and most of the moves are for show doing NOTHING in the end

[mopinko]

9. i'm counting on world leaders to do what (some) american people dont seem to want to do.

stand up and call this bunch for the thugs they are. it may not worry the people, but it will worry the business interests a great deal.

[MineralMan]

14. Real international business leaders understand diplomacy,

especially public diplomacy. They can easily see Trump's boorish, clueless behavior already. Trump really has no friends in the business world. They wrote him off long ago. He's just a real estate developer who is always in debt up to his ears.

He has no understanding of international business dealings, either. His negotiating style is like his personal style. He simply bullies people into agreements. He's now out of his league, altogether.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. This Guy has burned so many people

and now he is trying desperately to stay relevant and save face.

[MineralMan]

18. I really don't think they're trying, though.

I think they believe that they can succeed by bullying. It will not work.

[Wellstone ruled]

22. Something is afoot.

It is very apparent Trump and his so called administration are collapsing as we speak. World operates on Trust and Trump just does not have that,yes he is in his Bully Mode. Noticed the President of Mexico did his real Diplomatic bit to help Trump and his stupid wall by suggesting they keep it out of the Media.

[ananda]

48. Trump may be out of his league, but ...

.. he's only a puppet. Our real rulers
are Russia and big oil.

[Cosmocat]

10. This is not aimed at you or anyone here, but NO SHIT

Nothing happening now is was not 100 percent obvious LONG before November 8th.

But ...

E-MAILS!

[MineralMan]

12. It's Unpresidented. Truly.

[Cosmocat]

13. I mean

[uponit7771]

47. Yeap, those emails would've attacked our freedoms dammit !! /sarc

[gademocrat7]

15. Nikki Haley has no sense of decorum.

The United States reputation has been tarnished in a week's time.

[MineralMan]

17. Yup. And worst of all, it was our traditional allies she insulted

and threatened. What a way to begin a career in international diplomacy!

I'm embarrassed. This administrating is just blundering its way into everything. The USA is about to become the bull in the china shop, something nobody wants around. If we continue, we'll be a laughing stock and then get shunned, except when it's essential for us to be there.

[GoCubsGo]

21. I'm so glad she is no longer my governor.

Not that her replacement is any better. Or, that I think she belongs in her current position. But, at least her future political aspirations are circling the drain. Anyone who thought she was some sort of sensible moderate is finding out the hard way how wrong they were. They're seeing her true colors now. I just hope her incompetence doesn't get us in some sort of war.

[randome]

19. Agree with everything you said but PM May probably does not care.

Like the U.S., the U.K. is giving the finger to international comity. Even then, she has more class than Trump but they are both making mistakes, imo.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[MineralMan]

20. I can't speak for PM May.

I really know nothing about her. I've been so focused on the presidential election that I've ignored UK politics.

It's not really her. It's the whole approach Trump seems to be taking to diplomacy. Nikki Haley just screwed the pooch on her first day as our UN Ambassador. She basically threatened our friends that they'd better back us up or else.

The atmosphere is growing dark and cloudy. Thunder and lightning are next, followed by possible tornadoes.

[randome]

23. No doubt that this gaggle of amateurs are every bit as vulgar and classless as Trump himself.

I hope the world can give us a bit of a break until this fever passes. I truly doubt Trump lasts 4 years. I don't think he'll last one.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[MineralMan]

24. I hope you're right. Truly I do.

If I didn't care so much, I'd just sit back and watch. It's going to be fascinating, to say the least. Maybe these are the "interesting times" people have spoken of.

[ananda]

50. May is a helmet-haired conservative.

Nuff said?

[rzemanfl]

25. I kept thinking about Churchill in the bathtub at the White House and what he said to FDR.

I wondered if that f*t pervert Drumpf was thinking about it too, then realized he has no knowledge of history.

[MineralMan]

29. "United Nations." "Good"

It's a great story, to be sure.

[rzemanfl]

30. The quote is:

“The Prime Minister of Great Britain has nothing to hide from the President of the United States.”

[MineralMan]

32. Yes. I've heard that line, too.

The funny thing is that I can't imagine a President today accidentally walking in on a naked head of state in the White House. Times have changed since then. They truly have.

I can't even remember a head of state spending the night at the White House at all. They're over at Blair House or in a suite at their country's embassy. I don't think the President has overnight guests of that stature any longer.

[radical noodle]

27. I expected nothing less

of that crazy bunch.

[bluecollar2]

28. I really hope Her Majesty postpones any invitations to the Palace...n/t

[Bettie]

31. Of course he called the PM by her first name

don't you know, women don't deserve even the appearance of respect. She's just lucky he didn't grab her, well, you know.

[MineralMan]

34. There is that, too.

But, Trump also doesn't know the protocols of diplomacy. They still exist, despite the coarsening of many personal relationships over the past 50 years. They're still important, at least in the world of international relations.

[Bettie]

54. Yeah, but I don't know that this orange thing

we've acquired as...I can't call him that, so we'll go with not-so-dear leader, has never been held to any standard in anything.

Oh, and he appears to be a psychopath.

[Fast Walker 52]

52. did he comment on her looks at least?

[SticksnStones]

33. He's Like King Ralph

But without the happy ending...

[MineralMan]

35. Never saw it. Maybe I should.

[Bettie]

53. Except Ralph was boorish in his behavior

but a decent guy underneath.

This guy is boorish in his behavior, unwilling to learn, and a nasty piece of work under the whole thing.

[SticksnStones]

55. Well, not an apples to apples comparison

It just came to mind when picturing a guy with no class, no knowledge of protocol, in way over his head.

[Bettie]

56. Yeah, I see that

the behavior fits.

But, it is very hard for me to pass an opportunity to say something mean about Mango Mussolini.

That might be a character flaw, but I don't think so in this case.

[SticksnStones]

58. I'd view it as a strength.

[OregonBlue]

36. I don't know. If Trump and Bannon are working with Putin to take down the US, they are already

doing a bang up job. They will isolate us and destroy our relationships and Russia will be free to come to the rescue of all the nations we have just slimed. Manchurian Administration.

[MineralMan]

37. They may THINK they're working with Putin.

They're not. Putin is toying with them as he uses them for his own ends. He's much, much smarter than Trump. I'm sure he considers Trump to be as much of a buffoon as we all do. But he's useful to Putin.

[OregonBlue]

60. 100% agree. Putin is exKGB and very crafty. Trump and his homies are pretend Neo-Nazis.

[Ilsa]

38. What's next?

[MineralMan]

40. Bush was a hapless boob.

In terms of diplomatic relations, he wasn't a bully. He was just unsophisticated and dumb as a box of rocks when it came to such things.

Trump is mean, and takes retribution and bullying seriously. He's also dumb as a box of rocks, but he throws those rocks at people.

Very different sorts of fools, those two.

[Ilsa]

41. I agree completely.

Trump would try to manhandle PM May if she was younger.

[MineralMan]

43. Well, it's a good thing that most national leaders who are women

have the benefit of many years of experience, then.

[Vinca]

39. Please. Let him call her Liz. She'll whack him up side the head with her ever present handbag.

[MineralMan]

42. Well, it'll be 'Liz' or 'Queenie."

But, I'd love to see her smack him with her bag, though.

[bigbrother05]

44. Recalls the boorish character Billy Bob Thornton played in "Love Actually"

A thuggish, groping US President getting told off by an insulted UK PM at a presser in London. Not likely that PM May will go there, but we can hope.

credit to Ms. BB05

[Bernardo de La Paz]

49. This was predicted: "Insulting your allies, threatening your friends, & embarrassing heads of state"

At the very least it was predictable and though it might not have been put into exactly those words, it does not surprise 50% of the Republican Party and 80% of the Democratic Party.

Of course, many in that 50% of the Republican Party voted for him anyway because they so corruptly love power.

[world wide wally]

51. I'm just waiting for the day a world leader looks at Trump and just says,

"Fuck you Trump... You are just full of shit"

[LuckyLib]

57. When Trump announced he was going to Mexico, as a candidate, the State Dept

offered him access to specialists who know Mexico well. He refused all offers. Doesn't know, doesn't want to know. Ignorant ass.

[Grammy23]

69. Well, gee? Why would he need the help of the specialists? He's a smart guy. He has a very good

Brain. If his performance this past week is any example of his brain, he couldn't figure out how to pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel.

[Dustlawyer]

59. He doesn't care, nothing will change because he doesn't give a f**k!

[TrollBuster9090]

61. He called her "Therisa." At least he didn't GROPE her... (not yet, anyway)

[Ellen Forradalom]

63. "I can picture Trump addressing the Queen of England as "Liz." "

Followed by, "I loved you in 30 Rock. But Alec Baldwin? Sad!"

[tenorly]

65. He'll probably trash the Queen's gardens with Marine One, like Dubya did.

It's what passes for soft power among Republicans.

[bucolic_frolic]

66. Have to think Nikki Haley was following orders

But remember Don's going to end the United Nations and evict it from New York

The buildings can probably be bought for a song if you know the right people

[bluedigger]

67. Trailer Park Diplomacy.

[anarch]

68. at least he went with "Theresa" instead of "Sweet-tits"

credit where credit's due and all

[lunatica]

72. In the end all we can do is watch and cringe

Historically Presidents and heads of state have people who are experts in protocol standing right behind them to instruct who they are greeting and how to greet the. Trump has Bannon and Barbie Kellyanne whispering in his ear and he ignores them just like he ignores us.

Trump will continue to address everyone the way he wants to. He might even start referring to them in his tried and trusted nicknaming way. "Brexit Teresa", "Manwoman Angela", "Mexican rapist Peña Nieto", etc.