• @grue
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    2 months ago

    pretending to be a tough guy that gets respect by rewarding friends and punishing enemies.

    Or vice-versa, when it comes to the US’ relationship with the countries themselves (as opposed to his personal fawning sycophancy towards dictators).

    • @Makeitstop
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      182 months ago

      Right, it’s not about whether they are America’s friend or foe, it’s only about their relationship with Trump. And unfortunately, Trump seems to be better at relating to dictators.

      And it probably doesn’t help that democratically elected leaders from countries that have longstanding relationships with the US tend to expect America to live up to it’s obligations. They aren’t coming in and kissing the ring in exchange for favors, they’re putting the burden on the president to, you know, do his fucking job. “What’s that, Ukraine wants the defense funding that congress allocated for them? Well what will they do for me?”

      • @grue
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        112 months ago

        And unfortunately, Trump seems to be better at relating to dictators.

        I know you’re not intentionally mincing words, but I prefer to be as explicit about it as possible: Trump idolizes dictators and wants to be just like them. He is a fanboi of Putin, Xi, et al.