Here’s the thing. They’re still folding. They’re still giving Trump wins. They’re still playing Trump’s game by Trump’s rules. And all it does is embolden him and make him become more brazen.
Look at it this way. Trump had already gotten Canada to blink by making them commit $1.3 billion to a “Border crisis” that doesn’t exist. And how did Trump repay them? By turning around and suddenly deciding that wasn’t good enough and slapping even higher tariffs on them in order to extract more concessions. Why not? It’s like a scammer going back to re-victimize a previous victim, because they already know that they’re an easier target that will cave easily. If Canada gives concessions again this time, what do you think Trump is going to demand the next time? And there will be a next time…
Look at Denmark. Trump’s play for Denmark was originally written off by Denmark saying that “Greenland is not for sale.” and writing off the whole thing as the ramblings of a dementia patient. Then they blinked and said “Well, Greenland would have to…and I don’t think they would do that.”. They went from a hard no to “well, ackshually…”, which was more than enough for Trump to escalate this from some demented ramblings into people talking about making a serious play for Greenland even if they have to use force.
Never mind giving this man an inch and him taking a yard. Give this man a millimeter and he’s taking a light-year. Give this man even the slightest, most worthless token of a concession and all he will do is come back for more and more. These countries need to learn that you cannot play Trump’s games by Trump’s rules. They need to issue a hard “no”, and most importantly fucking stick with it.
Canada and Mexico have already given repeated concessions to Trump and look where it got them. Both of them need to start telling Trump to fuck all the way off and not give him even the most worthless token of a concession. All he’ll do is just renege on the deal anyway and come back asking for more the next time he needs to manufacture a crisis to distract the rubes from something.
You know how Kim Jong Un starts making all sorts of nuclear threats and ignoring treaties every time he needs aid or just wants attention, just so he can extract concessions and ignore the new treaty next time he wants attention? That’s what Trump is doing now.
This exactly. I’m in the us and I wish it weren’t the case, but if I was in another country I would suggest just treating America the way we do Cuba. Cuba should not have the restrictions it does, but we ostensibly are doing that because of the government, so if people need to treat America like a rogue state to get things to change, then they should. No trades at all. Gas is our main export, so that is less than ideal, since a lot of countries are trying to stay away from Russian gas, though some have returned, but honestly you can’t just make deals with fascists. Hitler was elected too. Just because someone is elected doesn’t mean it should be acceptable to make deals on their terms.
You know how Kim Jong Un starts making all sorts of nuclear threats and ignoring treaties every time he needs aid or just wants attention, just so he can extract concessions and ignore the new treaty next time he wants attention? That’s what Trump is doing now.
And North Korea doesn’t look great so I guess we’d have to quibble over what you mean by working. If you only mean working to stroke Trump’s ego, then sure. If you mean it as in getting anything meaningful then no I still have to say it’s not working.
It does “work” for North Korea, to a degree. Does it accomplish anything meaningful outside of stroking Kim’s ego? No. But it “works” in that Un is able to keep the cycle of issuing threats and making demands, getting concessions in the form of food aid or some token publicity stunt or whatever in exchange for halting nuclear activities, then reneging on those promises the next time they need food aid or want attention going.
What it accomplishes is a matter of debate. But it does “work” in the fact that it accomplishes the goal of giving “Dear Leader” an ego boost and having something to show to the rubes so he can brag about how big his dick is. And that’s all the incentive he needs to keep playing.
You know how a toddler learns that if he pulls a big enough temper tantrum, eventually mommy will give him the attention and the shiny toy he wants? Other countries need to learn the same lesson that mommy eventually learns: Ignore the toddler and let him thrash about in his playpen until he tires himself out and eventually he’ll learn that his behavior won’t get him what he wants. People still haven’t learned this, unfortunately, when it comes to Trump.
Here’s the thing. They’re still folding. They’re still giving Trump wins. They’re still playing Trump’s game by Trump’s rules. And all it does is embolden him and make him become more brazen.
Look at it this way. Trump had already gotten Canada to blink by making them commit $1.3 billion to a “Border crisis” that doesn’t exist. And how did Trump repay them? By turning around and suddenly deciding that wasn’t good enough and slapping even higher tariffs on them in order to extract more concessions. Why not? It’s like a scammer going back to re-victimize a previous victim, because they already know that they’re an easier target that will cave easily. If Canada gives concessions again this time, what do you think Trump is going to demand the next time? And there will be a next time…
Look at Denmark. Trump’s play for Denmark was originally written off by Denmark saying that “Greenland is not for sale.” and writing off the whole thing as the ramblings of a dementia patient. Then they blinked and said “Well, Greenland would have to…and I don’t think they would do that.”. They went from a hard no to “well, ackshually…”, which was more than enough for Trump to escalate this from some demented ramblings into people talking about making a serious play for Greenland even if they have to use force.
Never mind giving this man an inch and him taking a yard. Give this man a millimeter and he’s taking a light-year. Give this man even the slightest, most worthless token of a concession and all he will do is come back for more and more. These countries need to learn that you cannot play Trump’s games by Trump’s rules. They need to issue a hard “no”, and most importantly fucking stick with it.
Canada and Mexico have already given repeated concessions to Trump and look where it got them. Both of them need to start telling Trump to fuck all the way off and not give him even the most worthless token of a concession. All he’ll do is just renege on the deal anyway and come back asking for more the next time he needs to manufacture a crisis to distract the rubes from something.
You know how Kim Jong Un starts making all sorts of nuclear threats and ignoring treaties every time he needs aid or just wants attention, just so he can extract concessions and ignore the new treaty next time he wants attention? That’s what Trump is doing now.
This exactly. I’m in the us and I wish it weren’t the case, but if I was in another country I would suggest just treating America the way we do Cuba. Cuba should not have the restrictions it does, but we ostensibly are doing that because of the government, so if people need to treat America like a rogue state to get things to change, then they should. No trades at all. Gas is our main export, so that is less than ideal, since a lot of countries are trying to stay away from Russian gas, though some have returned, but honestly you can’t just make deals with fascists. Hitler was elected too. Just because someone is elected doesn’t mean it should be acceptable to make deals on their terms.
And North Korea doesn’t look great so I guess we’d have to quibble over what you mean by working. If you only mean working to stroke Trump’s ego, then sure. If you mean it as in getting anything meaningful then no I still have to say it’s not working.
It does “work” for North Korea, to a degree. Does it accomplish anything meaningful outside of stroking Kim’s ego? No. But it “works” in that Un is able to keep the cycle of issuing threats and making demands, getting concessions in the form of food aid or some token publicity stunt or whatever in exchange for halting nuclear activities, then reneging on those promises the next time they need food aid or want attention going.
What it accomplishes is a matter of debate. But it does “work” in the fact that it accomplishes the goal of giving “Dear Leader” an ego boost and having something to show to the rubes so he can brag about how big his dick is. And that’s all the incentive he needs to keep playing.
You know how a toddler learns that if he pulls a big enough temper tantrum, eventually mommy will give him the attention and the shiny toy he wants? Other countries need to learn the same lesson that mommy eventually learns: Ignore the toddler and let him thrash about in his playpen until he tires himself out and eventually he’ll learn that his behavior won’t get him what he wants. People still haven’t learned this, unfortunately, when it comes to Trump.