No 'G'day, mate': On call with Australian prime minister, Trump badgers and brags
Source: WaPo
It should have been one of the most congenial calls for the new commander in chief a conversation with the leader of Australia, one of Americas staunchest allies, at the end of a triumphant week.
Instead, President Trump blasted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refugee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win, according to senior U.S. officials briefed on the Saturday exchange. Then, 25 minutes into what was expected to be an hour-long call, Trump abruptly ended it.
At one point Trump informed Turnbull that he had spoken with four other world leaders that day including Russian President Vladimir Putin and that, This was the worst call by far.
-snip-
This is the worst deal ever, Trump fumed as Turnbull attempted to confirm that the United States would honor its pledge to take in 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center. Trump, who one day earlier had signed an executive order temporarily barring the admissions of refugees, complained that he was going to get killed politically and accused Australia of seeking to export the next Boston bombers.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html
George II
(67,782 posts)....won't hold it personally against millions of Americans, just him, his cronies, and the racist bullies that elected him.
I can't see even republicans putting up with this crap for long.
yuiyoshida
(41,850 posts)will be Putin.
madaboutharry
(40,219 posts)Can you imagine what these foreign leaders are all saying to one another about this loon?
Not to change the subject, but why would anyone say it "was the end of a triumphant week?"
I thought last week was a clusterfuck.
Remember, delusional narcissist
W-
groundloop
(11,521 posts)LisaM
(27,827 posts)Quiet_Dem_Mom
(599 posts)After reading that article word for word to my husband, my first thought was "oh my gawd" and the second thought: attention deficit.
No wonder every "conversation" he has veers back to his favorite topic: Trump. He can't maintain the bead of a conversation.
And the "sanitized" White House accounts??? not buying anything from these snake-oil salesmen
weissmam
(905 posts)he can't treat anyone as an equal , you either kiss his ass or he steps on you . The Australian prime minister was probably laughing his ass off
Amaryllis
(9,525 posts)Trump's actions on global stability. I imagine a lot of the world leaders of countries who have been our allies are talking with each other and trying to figure out how to handle dealing with a clearly highly unstable person.
old guy
(3,283 posts)The ball is in Turnbulls court. Interested to see what he does with it.
groundloop
(11,521 posts)CanonRay
(14,112 posts)griloco
(832 posts)PatrickforO
(14,586 posts)Ick.
sheshe2
(83,875 posts)He needs to be sent to the naughty mat.
barbtries
(28,810 posts)long before he was even the nominee. now he's the president. we are so screwed, and the republicans in congress are too stupid or too greedy to give a fuck.
perdita9
(1,144 posts)They clearly don't have anymore in the Republican party
raccoon
(31,118 posts)that this turns many people against the Republican party.
perdita9
(1,144 posts)They're not getting my kid in a draft. I know exactly which of my neighbors voted for Trump thanks to the signs they posted in their yards. Let them send their kids off to fight in King Baby's wars. Mines staying where it's safe.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,033 posts)groundloop
(11,521 posts)I'm not sure what I'd have done had I faced the draft, I was just a couple of years too young for that show. If tRump gets us into WW III I'll not hesitate to recommend to my kids that they find a new place to live in one of many friendly, peaceful countries throughout the world who understand what kind of lune we have running things now.
PatSeg
(47,573 posts)Can't feel my toes anymore!
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,033 posts)dalton99a
(81,569 posts)left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)From the linked article:
Even in conversations marred by hostile exchanges, Trump manages to work in references to his election accomplishments.
U.S. officials said that he used his calls with both Turnbull and Peña Nieto to mention his election win or the size of the crowd at his inauguration ...
to depict his victory as an achievement of historic proportions
muriel_volestrangler
(101,355 posts)because he's saying that to politicians who know very well he squeaked in due to the weird design of the electoral college system.
Ask a political professional how close it was, and they'll say "what swing would be needed to change the result?" The answer is that he won Wisconsin by 0.76%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016#Close_races . Move 0.39% from Trump to Clinton in each state, and Hillary would have won. That's closer than Bush's win over Kerry in 2004 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2004#Close_states - when he won Ohio by 2.11%, and that was the state Kerry would have needed to flip.
So if Trump wastes his time, and theirs, banging on about it, he really does think he's something special, and doesn't understand that politicians in other countries don't give a toss about his crowd sizes (and won't be fooled by Trump crap on the subject). "He repeatedly misstated the number of refugees called for in the agreement as 2,000 rather than 1,250 ..." - so he lies to the leaders of other countries as well as to Americans.
47of74
(18,470 posts)And to hell with diplomatic fallout.
llmart
(15,552 posts)right now. He won't need his ban. No one will want to come here anyway with that dumbfuck in power. Hell, I don't even want to live here any longer. I can be in Canada in one hour. Please, Canadians, can I flee to your country?
teezy
(269 posts)Because this shit is getting scary, fast.
Zorro
(15,749 posts)Just what Putin wants.
groundloop
(11,521 posts)bhikkhu
(10,722 posts)Having read earlier how he spoke to Nieto, he's just offensive, pointlessly offensive, beyond how offensive I imagined he might be.
Invidious15
(17 posts)I don't mean that as in taking a break from "work". What if were to try not to be a dick for an entire day? I'm thinking he suffers some kind of severe physical reaction like anaphylactic shock within the first hour. Dickishness is part of his so-called brand but also part of keeping him in stasis as an asshole supreme.
Skittles
(153,185 posts)it's WHAT HE IS and WHO HE IS
Grammy23
(5,810 posts)And in fact, we were warned. Just never dreamed it would reveal itself so clearly a few days into his Presidency. He cannot help this. It is who he is. Might as well tell him to stop breathing. We really have NO CHOICE. He must be removed, one way or other. 25th amendment. Impeachment. Whatever is the quickest way to stop this madness.
The very next thing we as citizens MUST do is demand his removal by those authorized to do it. Must be done before he gets us into a war or all of us killed.
HE HAS BEEN REVEALING IT FOR DECADES
triron
(22,019 posts)calimary
(81,441 posts)Obviously among the MANY things The Donald hasn't ever bothered to read would be that golden oldie "How to Win Friends and Influence People." All he's doing is making enemies. And people in other countries don't have any reason to bow and scrape to him like the CONS do here.
dae
(3,396 posts)calimary
(81,441 posts)trump is Vlad's Vassal.
jpak
(41,758 posts)Then tell him to go fuck all.
yup
Skittles
(153,185 posts)WTF WERE YOU THINKING? WERE YOU EVEN THINKING *AT ALL*? TRUMP IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE TO AMERICA.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)raccoon
(31,118 posts)triron
(22,019 posts)Watalapan
(93 posts)I wonder which world leader this MF going to Insult next
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)Watalapan
(93 posts)Greetings from Toronto
calimary
(81,441 posts)It's anybody's guess what the answer to that one is.
Who thought we'd alienate Mexico? Who thought we'd be playing footsie with the Russians? Who'd have thought we'd be picking a fight with China?
Wonder who'll be next?
teezy
(269 posts)Given our proximity to the US and our love of refugees and imigrants, we will most certainly be the next target. I hope Trudeau has the guts for it.
IronLionZion
(45,516 posts)Welcome to DU!
PA Democrat
(13,225 posts)of performing the duties of the presidency.
Unbelievable that a grown man cannot control his addiction to constant and revolting braggadocio.
NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)I remember shuddering every time Dubya talked to a foreign leader, thinking he'd embarrass us again. Now it seems like those were the good old days.
Dump is not only unfit, he's damn dangerous. Somebody is going to push back at him and with his paranoia and narcissism who knows what he'll do?
Cha
(297,574 posts)All I see is FAILURE, gd!!
Secondly.. blotus is a fucking idiot.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)I guess if he can't swindle the little guy, he is pretty ineffective.
raccoon
(31,118 posts)llmart
(15,552 posts)The idiot would have just tweeted "great conversation" afterwards.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Thanks to the man-baby in charge.
IronLionZion
(45,516 posts)way to burn bridges with our allies, dipshit.
HurricaneWarning
(220 posts)My son is living in China and I tell him to pack a get away bag. I want him out the minute trouble starts.