Look at them telling themselves, ‘Keep a straight face… Act like this is totally normal….’

macron

So it appears our president is over across the pond embarrassing us, again, squabbling with allies and roiling markets.

For me, it’s interesting to turn the sound down and just watch these foreign leaders sit next to him and labor to keep a straight face.

I give Macron some credit for breaking out of this pattern and confronting Trump, which you see above. But most continue to play the game, trying not to have a diplomatic incident.

I’m very sorry that we keep putting our friends through this…

52 thoughts on “Look at them telling themselves, ‘Keep a straight face… Act like this is totally normal….’

  1. David T

    Trump’s not embarrassing anyone, he’s telling the world what’s really going on with in the US. It doesn’t matter if he’s at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or sitting in some hut in the middle of the Amazon forest. I’d rather hear him tell this to the world than listen to Rachel Madcow interview Nancy Pelosi from her San Fransisco mansion stating that everything in America is wonderful except for Donald Trump while 40 feet away there’s a guy taking a dump in her driveway and throwing his used pot needles into her shrubs. But I’m that way, I’d rather hear bad news straight out than have someone trying to sugar coat the same news and try to blow smoke up my @$$.

    1. Norm Ivey

      I saw the Used Pot Needles open for Iron Butterfly at the Coliseum in 1970. I didn’t understand them.

  2. Barry

    Trump is an embarrassment and a joke. Nothing new here.

    Glad other leaders are starting to figure out you just have to call him out and then ignore him.

  3. Mark Stewart

    Trump is mentally disordered. Why is that so hard for people to see? I get most people don’t know personality disordered traits, but really, he is a walking disaster. Can most of us agree to this?

    1. Barry

      Some just refuse to because they are under the silly impression admitting he’s a disaster means the other side wins.

      It’s the same peo0le that believe Devin Nunes – a guy which call records released today show is as big a liar as we thought he was…..

      1. David T

        Barry and Mark, I can’t begin to tell you how happy that you two have found each other. Now the two of you can spend your pillow talk preaching to the choir.

  4. Barry

    There is a better video out tonight of several world leaders making fun of trump today. Their comments were picked up by mics.

    Maggie Haberman pointed out that Trump hates to be laughed at more than anything in the world (she did t say it but that description reminds me of a child) .

      1. Barry

        I remain “anonymous” because I don’t want internet tough guys like you that are obsessed with my identity knowing anything about me.

        I don’t mind being laughed at. It’s irrelevant to me. How you got that out of the trump comparison (which is well known) is amusing.

            1. Brad Warthen Post author

              By the way, are any of y’all watching the new season of “The Crown?”

              I was startled by how much the actress playing Anne seems like her, when she was young. Good casting. And good hair and makeup, of course, as well…

            2. David T

              You talk like we care what the British royalty do. For anything they now, it’s about 100 years too late for anyone outside the Royal Fan Club to care. They’re the British version of the Kardashians.

    1. Doug Ross

      And how do these tough guys respond when asked about the video?

      But the PM (Trudeau) denied he was laughing at Mr Trump’s expense, adding: “That’s complete nonsense I don’t know where that’s come from.” Trudeau insisted today he has an “excellent and very productive relationship with Mr Trump.” He claimed he was talking about Trump’s “impromptu press conference” in the hot mic incident, and the “jaw dropping moment” was when he announced that the US could host the next G7 at Camp David.

      They know they need Trump far more than he needs them. He’s asking countries like Canada and Germany and France to live up to their financial commitments to NATO — isn’t that what should be done? We’ve been carrying them for decades.

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        They don’t need Trump. They need the United States. And they’re just trying to hold their breaths until he is gone, and they can deal with a normal president.

        The issue of NATO contributions is neither here nor there. It’s a long-standing issue. Trump just makes more noise about it because of his xenophobic approach to foreign affairs. It’s all about his standard “Oh, the poor little United States, getting taken by the rest of the world” shtick.

        It’s certainly not an issue he personally discovered. It’s just one that’s out there that he can put under the “America First” umbrella…

        1. David T

          “The issue of NATO contributions is neither here nor there. It’s a long-standing issue. ”

          So you’re fine with the US bailing out any country that refuses to pull it’s share. The fact that it’s a long standing issue is a problem in itself. Sometimes you just get tired of footing the bill for a bunch of freeloaders.

          But, I guess this is just Trump’s fault… just like it was Bush’s fault until Bathhouse Barry came along then it was still Bush’s fault.

          1. Barry

            “So you’re fine with the US bailing out any country”

            No one is fine with it.

            It’s why in 2014, NATO countries agreed to raise their spending and despite Trump taking credit for it and his cheerleading skirt wearing supporters giving him the credit, NATO members have repeatedly stated they are sticking to their 2014 agreement.

              1. Doug Ross

                These same people think that student loans should be wiped out. They agreed to pay them back but now its a problem when they have an iPhone, avocado toast, and mocha lattes to pay for.

              2. Barry

                Of course but no one is going to force them to do it. As Macron has said several times, they are going to do it on their schedule as they agreed to in 2014.

      2. Brad Warthen Post author

        I just noticed your first comment: “And how do these tough guys respond”

        Surely you don’t see their mild responses as some sort of reflection on their “toughness,” do you?

        You realize, I hope, that the job of a national leader includes keeping the peace with one’s allies, and pouring oil on the waters whenever something comes up that could damage the relationship.

        Normal world leaders see it as an essential responsibility to put aside their personal feelings and act responsibly on behalf of their nations.

        Trump doesn’t, of course, because he is not a normal world leader. He is, on the contrary, an ignorant, impulsive, narcissistic, childish lunatic who does not give a damn about the consequences to others of what he says or does….

        1. Doug Ross

          i see them as phonies.

          Do you believe Trudeau when he says he has an “excellent and very productive relationship with Mr Trump” ? Or is he lying? Words matter.

          As for this: “The issue of NATO contributions is neither here nor there. It’s a long-standing issue. ”

          Yeah, maybe it’s time someone actually did something about it. It’s OUR money paying for THEIR protection. We have other more pressing needs in this country — and that’s not xenophobia — it’s expecting others to live up to their commitments.

          1. Doug Ross

            Or we could go the quid pro quo route and trade them the protection of our military for reduced tariffs on our products they import. Someone has to pay.

          2. Barry

            “Do you believe Trudeau when he says he has an “excellent and very productive relationship with Mr Trump” ? Or is he lying? Words matter.”

            I see them as liars, just like Trump is when he talks about what a great relationship he has with the French leader.

          3. Barry

            “It’s OUR money paying for THEIR protection.”

            Example #25 of a total misunderstanding of the NATO alliance that is present in some people. .

              1. Barry

                Dodging issues hasn’t helped you yet.

                If you think NATO is about us paying for the protection of Europe, you aren’t a serious person.

        2. David T

          “Trump doesn’t, of course, because he is not a normal world leader. He is, on the contrary, an ignorant, impulsive, narcissistic, childish lunatic who does not give a damn about the consequences to others of what he says or does….”

          How long have you been holding onto that comment just waiting to use it?

      3. Barry

        “He’s asking countries like Canada and Germany and France to live up to their financial commitments to NATO — ”

        The NATO countries are abiding by the commitments they made to increase NATO spending that they made in 2014. They continue to do so with many countries still not meeting that metric, but still living up to what they committed to in 2014.

        “The members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pledged in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024.”

        The 2% figure is really a dumb measure. There are many better measurements and strategies if the real goal is increasing the security profile of NATO. But in our silly political climate, the 2% figure means something to Americans that don’t pay attention to anything but sound bites.

  5. Doug Ross

    Well if it’s a doing measure, what does that say about the leaders of the countries who pledged to meet it?

    “Along with Canada, Greece was the only NATO members to decrease defence spending in 2018. European nations as a whole reached a five-year high at 1.51%.”

    The US still accounts for nearly 70% of NATO’s military expenditures.

    Those leaders are getting a ride on the United States’ coattails. They can pledge whatever they like to look like they are committed but never actually do the tough job of convincing their citizens to pay for it.

      1. Bill

        I have a pure white Macron faux bearskin rug, if you’re freshly showered ,all beered up and ready to pose,baby boy. No diaper,this time…

        1. Doug Ross

          Let me know where and when. We can sit in the nude and watch too cool videos that have 11 views. Is it okay if my wife comes along!

          Your reverse homophobia is fabulous.

          1. Bill

            3 somes sound good but someone always gets jealous.
            Chicks dig me,and I have hidden charms .
            We could send her pics…

              1. Realist

                Haven’t bothered to comment on Bill’s posts and don’t intend to because in my estimation, he is an attention seeker and provoker but am beginning to wonder if this is Brad’s blog or Bill’s.

                My question to you and Doug is why do you continue to take the bait and engage Bill? But, whatever floats your boat.

                1. Doug Ross

                  It’s all in good fun. I know the tone is not apparent in a blog comment but I consider this back and forth to just be like shooting the breeze with a drink in a bar. The day I worry about what some anonymous person writes about me is the day I stop commenting. I’m more intrigued by the effort put into posting links that nobody clicks on.

Comments are closed.