General Discussion

kpete

(72,027 posts) Thu Feb 2, 2017, 10:36 AM Feb 2017

Sydney Morning Herald: "World be warned-Trumps conversations not private & his word, unreliable"

The corollary point is that Trump is the Mad King: volatile, vainglorious, and untrustworthy. Turnbull is right to handle him with kid gloves. …

Australian government sources confirm the Washington Post’s story is substantially correct. Trump was angry, did describe the Obama deal as the worst he’d seen, and did treat the Australian leader with contempt.

But Turnbull persisted.

Presumably someone who stood up to Margaret Thatcher, Kerry Packer, and Conrad Black has seen bravado and alpha-male bullying before.

Heroically, the government still hopes to salvage its deal over the 1250 refugees, despite equivocations and a bizarre tweet by Trump on Thursday afternoon which appears to have all but killed it off.

The pre-eminent danger now is not this precarious deal, but the risk of sustained damage to the US-Australian relationship.

Trump is now gainsaying his own private commitments, via Twitter. This is an extraordinary situation and one that is almost impossible to manage. American prestige is on the line.

World leaders be warned: Trump’s conversations are not private and his word, unreliable.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/malcolm-turnbulls-approach-vindicated-by-president-donald-trumps-madness-20170202-gu3yjp.html

7 replies

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Highlight:

Sydney Morning Herald: "World be warned-Trumps conversations not private & his word, unreliable" (Original Post) kpete Feb 2017 OP

... Lucinda Feb 2017 #1

Be a shame if a recording was hacked and released? BSdetect Feb 2017 #2

American prestige is already long gone cilla4progress Feb 2017 #3

Here's what I think matt819 Feb 2017 #4

This story seems to refute Kellyanne-the-Liar Conway's whining that PA Democrat Feb 2017 #5

Thanks, Australia. Cracklin Charlie Feb 2017 #6

TRANSLATION: Don't tell this Orange Phuck TheDebbieDee Feb 2017 #7

Lucinda

(31,170 posts)

1. ...

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Thu Feb 2, 2017, 10:38 AM

Feb 2017

BSdetect

(8,999 posts)

2. Be a shame if a recording was hacked and released?

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Thu Feb 2, 2017, 10:39 AM

Feb 2017

What a colossal craphead twitler is.

cilla4progress

(24,782 posts)

3. American prestige is already long gone

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Thu Feb 2, 2017, 10:55 AM

Feb 2017

With the election of this monstrosity. Putin has every reason to gloat.

matt819

(10,749 posts)

4. Here's what I think

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Thu Feb 2, 2017, 11:09 AM

Feb 2017

Trumbull, Merkel et al should get on the phone to their counterparts around the world and say three things:
Do not accept phone calls from Trump.
No state visits
Threaten to limit/reduce US presence in their countries. Let's face it, these countries are going to be on their own anyway in the event of an external threat.

Someone, somewhere has to show some spine and stand up to our rogue government. In the same way that Reuters is advising its reporters to treat the US as an authoritarian regime, our (former, and maybe future) allies have to treat the US regime the same way.