It’s old news now but I’m still kind of fascinated by it – Trump’s hostility to democratic allies and comfort with authoritarian rivals and enemies. He’s repelled by the one and drawn to the other.
Those who have witnessed the president’s phone calls and meetings with foreign leaders said he had a weakness for monarchs and leaders with absolute power, because that is how he would ideally like to govern. He could be contemptuous of democratic allies, on the other hand, if they had done poorly in elections or opinion polls, and generally viewed them as supplicants asking for personal favours. “Catch Trump at the wrong moment, when he has a fresh grievance (ie most days) and he can be pretty charmless,” a former European official said.
It’s not ideological, it seems, it’s more instinctive and personal than that. He likes bullies and dislikes non-bullies.
“It’s not that it’s like a fascination with Putin and Russia per se. It’s the image of the person itself, and what they stand for,” the former aide said. “He wants to be seen as somebody who can completely have his own way. And he wants to be seen in the company of people who he sees that reflected in. People with ultimate authority, swagger.”
“It was the same with MBS [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman],” the former official added. “And he’s super deferential to the Queen – unbelievably deferential and obsequious to the Queen.”
In other words it’s terribly terribly simple. Horrible, and simple.
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11 responses to “Who is the top person here?”
That bit about the Queen is especially odd. Despite her title, she has no real power; her main function is to go where she’s told to go, say what she’s told to say, and in general do her duty (also, take care of the Corgis). Everything, in other words, that Trump hates. Can you imagine him as a constitutional monarch? He’d be horrible (well, perhaps less horrible than he is now, but still).
Courtiers at the White House could start something by addressing him as ‘Your Majesty’. Worth a try, if only to see what happens. Then ‘your …………………'(insert epithet here).As in ‘I called him an honour, Your Bastard.’.
What a Maroon – ah yes but of course Trump is far too ill-informed to understand that. He sees all the pomp and ceremony, the Great Big Palace, the crowns, the jewels, the bowing and scraping, the walking solemnly up and down, the long table full of shiny stuff, the bowing courtiers, the sojers in red jackets, and he is BLOWN AWAY. He wishes he could have that himself. He thinks it bespeaks Awesome Powers.
This is the mindset of a mob boss. And the Trumps have been mobbed up for 3 generations.
Ophelia, true.
Also, golfing (not that the queen golfs, but she could if she wanted).
The Queen can shoot, and wring the necks of pheasants, and I do wish she had taken Trump out for a little aristocratic sport and had arranged for an accident…
Hey, good point. She can drive, too – next time lets she runs over him.
Sorry, Ophelia – running people over is Phil the Greek’s gig.
Not driving, but she could order a charge of the Household Cavalry. In fact she could head the charge. The last British monarch who led his own troops was George II. It’s about time that tradition was revived.
Hey, Ophelia, be fair, Trump can drive! Just plops his butt into a golf cart and off he goes!
Also he can drive big giant trucks! Beep beep!