Summary
Trump and Zelenskyy’s confrontational Oval Office meeting advanced “mob boss foreign policy” serving Russian interests.
Trump and Vance bullied Zelenskyy when he refused their “extortionate” minerals deal or to thank them despite Trump’s stated intent to reduce support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy effectively countered their claims by noting Russia’s 2014 invasion and correcting historical inaccuracies, which angered the Americans.
This represents the first openly “anti-US, anti-Western, anti-democracy foreign policy in American history.” Russians embraced it, and Putin ally and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev celebrated the exchange.
Has Trump done anything in the past month to not humiliate the US and drastically weaken our global strength and influence?
Some drone strikes on some Al Qaeda guys I guess? But nothing of significant note. The rest has been a complete humiliation of the US.
The same drone strikes he said were illegal, and instead of stopping, removed reporting of so he could say he didn’t do it but Obama did… ugghhhh
The most embarrassing moment in American history. Regurgitating Russian propaganda to the ally currently under attack from Russia. It’s almost unbelievable that this actually occurred…
most embarrassing moment in American history
so far.
I don’t think Ukraine is an ally anymore. I don’t think much of Europe is our ally at this point
I’m certainly not an ally, and I live here.
I mean, same. I hate that I’m an American rn.
More embarrassing than Holocaust denial and the slaughter of indigenous people?
There’s lots of embarrassing things. There’s lots of really bad embarrassing things.
I hear the French had a most fabulous invention that could help with these sorts of problems.
The Etch-A-Sketch?
But not quite as embarrassing as your comment history.
Dunning Kruger indeed
Almost. But some of us could tell he was a Manchurian Candidate
Most embarrassing, wtf, have you read american history past the first grade. Hell in the first chapter you’ll find ethnic cleansing of natives and the three fifths compromise. This isn’t even the first time we’ve done a shakedown like this. Half of Latin America got this treatment in the 19th century, albeit less crude and poorly executed.
Even on the regurgitating authoritarian propaganda front, in the 70s we were running diplomatic cover for fucking Polpot and playing down the genocide because we wanted to get back at Vietnam and cozy up to China.
Most embarrassed I’ve been to call myself an american. And I’m a veteran.
Absolutely disgusting.
I’m so angry and embarrassed. What a total shit show.
Since 2015 ish I started unfollowing both left and right side friends because of political talk from people on my friends list on Facebook. I really have pruned it to be only people that post stuff they’re doing. Same for people that only forward stuff. (News or whatever).
I broke down and posted about yesterday on my feed with a link to a YouTube video of the press conference. Expressing how utterly disgusted I was.
It’s a minor thing but it should make it very clear how I feel and the line we crossed with that display.
Seems like you did an unnecessary pruning then. You just weren’t angry yet.
No I was angry but wanted a clean online space that I was kinda stuck on due to remote family…
Edit: I am more angry now so you’re not technically wrong <sigh>
I was pretty embarrassed when he was elected the first time, then really embarrassed when he was elected the second time too, but yeah, this is a new low.
Embarrassed? I went into a deep depression and could barely get out of bed, the second time.
I voted by mail went to Hawaii hoping to tune it out. All it did was depress the fuck out of me during my vacation. I put on a fake smile and tried to enjoy myself, but the 2nd half of that trip sucked.
I’m a veteran and a minority as well. It’s great knowing more than 1 language because I can claim a different country that speaks my language as my own to avoid the negative association of being an American.
I also get discounts speaking my native tongue compared to white folks who come blaring in disrespectfully.
That was their goal. Humiliate Ukraine like he tried to humiliate Canada and Mexico. He’s a bully and conman and lying, cheating, and breaking deals is how he has gotten through life and it’s all he knows. He thinks that by humiliating and making other leaders feel small and helpless he can make himself look big and strong and get a better deal.
He hasn’t figured out yet that dealing with sovereign countries with millions of citizens whose politicians need to answer to them, not Trump, is different that cheating a small paint store or a small architecture firm.
He’s bankrupted everything he’s tried to, the-art-of-the-deal and he’s going to bankrupt America.
If the world works together it can bring the United States to heel.
Humiliate Ukraine like he tried to humiliate Canada and Mexico.
Trump’s tariffs are about to come into effect against Canadian goods in a couple days. I fully expect to see another meltdown from Trump. I really hope Trudeau records the entire meeting/phone call and makes it public so the whole world can witness it.
He tries to run diplomatic relations like he would be dealing with NYC mobsters. That man is entirely unsuited for office. The US population which elected him has shown to be unsuited for the leadership role they claim their country has. That’s the reality the rest of the world is facing. The US is a troubled state and an unreliable ally. Moreover, they are acting in the interests of adversarial nations to world peace and prosperity. Other nations who did that have been deemed rogue or terrorist states.
Reality is that every other country will look down on USA for years. USA is not going to be considered trustworthy trading partner nor trustworthy ally.
And the sad part is that even if we can get our act together and pull put of this, our former allies would be justified in not getting too close, because we’ve demonstrated that we could just allow the morons back in at the next election to burn it all down again.
The US always had terribly low resilience in the way their government is structured. The “checks and balances” were pretty great in the late 18th century, but their protections are paper thin and assume good faith.
Several countries have iterated upon their constitutions in the last 300 years, often to close exactly the kind of vulnerabilities we can see exploited in the US right now. For example, because of what the Weimar republic’s article 48 was used for in 1933, the German president no longer has those powers.
I understand that the US constitutions had had amendments, but as far as I can tell, the fundamental flaws across several core institutions have never been addressed. Until they are, the US can not be a trustworthy partner for any endeavor longer than the next election cycle.
I understand that the US constitutions had had amendments, but as far as I can tell, the fundamental flaws across several core institutions have never been addressed. Until they are, the US can not be a trustworthy partner for any endeavor longer than the next election cycle.
Ah, that gets to a different part of our problem: our Conservatives’ fetish for our founders. A majority of our Supreme Court literally uses “What would George Washington think of all this” as justification for rulings. It is very hard (on purpose) to get amendments passed, they need broad consensus not only at the Federal level, but at the State level. That will be impossible to get when half the country uses “what did the founders think” as the benchmark for all rulings. It makes it impossible to update anything.
Yeah I’m actually slightly annoyed that while the first presidency we haven’t cooled that much and prepared ourselves to be less dependent on the US.
But I think now it’s pretty clear, "Trump"s USA is not something we (as europeans) can rely on anymore. Repeating the error twice should be more than enough to come to that conclusion, it was blatantly obvious that something like this could happen (seemingly not for a lot of americans, it’s almost comical to see something like “LeopardsAteMyFace”). Though I’m still a little bit surprised at what speed Trumps administration is able to disassemble the US…
It’s frankly a much healthier strategy for our (former) allies. We’re really not all that dependable anymore. We’ve been coasting on inertia for decades.
No, I wouldn’t say that. Prior Republican administrations certainly pushed the Unitary Executive theory, but only at some boundaries and worked within the bounds set by Congress and the Courts for most things. Even the first Trump administration was constrained, not only by Congress but also by the administrators that Republicans encouraged him to bring in board, who continued to respect those boundaries.
The unique thing about this Presidency is that Trump is upending all of it. Republicans have long fantasized about demolishing the parts of the Federal government they don’t like. Now they own all the levers of government and could do it all through legislation. But they won’t, because they understand aspects of it will be unpopular and don’t want those votes on the record. So instead, Congress is letting Trump and Musk grab them by the pussy. Republicans get to make the government so small they can drown it in the bathtub, like they always wanted, much faster than the legal process would allow for. All they have to do is look the other way while Trump and Musk trample all over the laws.
So yes, this is different. Our former allies would be correct to not trust us again unless we can place real constraints around the Presidency again, somehow. Depending on Congress to be a check on a President no longer works.
Cope.
Ya’ll’ve been skirting the line for a long time. Most people only get along with the US because they feel like have to, or because they aren’t paying attention to what happens when you get on their bad side for doing things like trying to develop democracy(Latin America, anyone?). Your country was already in the hole but we still had you tied to a rope and were desperately propping you up because you have the keys to van. Now you’ve called everyone losers and cut the rope and, frankly, we’re starting to realize that our efforts would be better spent walking home that trying to fish you out of there while being fought the whole time just for you to drive us all off a cliff an hoir later.
Fuck the US. Fucking shithole.
While some of the critiques you’re leveling are completely valid and correct, I don’t think making a sweeping hostile generalization about all Americans is helpful here.
Also you’re coming off like an asshole. I want to help. The person you’re replying to probably wants to help too. Don’t punch down on that
This person I’m replying to believes that if the world just waits it out that American can be a shining beacon of hope with just a few changes. That is not the case, and the people of the US need to understand that the rest of the world does not believe them to be the main characters the same way they do.
Even many well-meaning in the US are taught a history that paints them as heroes and downplays the efforts of others. Many believe they won WW2, after joing exceptionally late and only because they themselves were attacked. It is a selfish nation, and I do not care(in this instance) about the good people who live there if the country and all it’s might are used to destroy the lives of others.
I have good friends who are from the US and there are many strangers to me from there who equally don’t deserve the consequences of what’s happening. I am still avoiding buying from there, and as Trump said himself that step one of trying to take over Canada would be to attempt to cripple us economically right before enacting tariffs meant specifically to cripple us economically I consider the US an enemy state actively trying to wage war against us.
Do not tell me to be so kind and gentle to someone who thinks that in four years, if they even manage to elect one of their lukewarm centre-right Democrats back into office, that I should breathe a great sigh of relief and pretend everything is back to normal. The US, as a country, is a terrible place filled with all manner of cruel monsters.
And yes, many good individuals, too.
Really curious what this means for Taiwan. Their sovereignty depends on US support, but with Trump at the helm, we’re just as likely to cut a deal with Xi and stay home when the fighting starts.
It means nothing for Taiwan, the US has supported the One China policy regarding Taiwan for decades and still do.
You should read up on the policy of strategic ambiguity with regards to China.
Generally speaking it’s a “speak softly but carry a big stick” approach. “One China” policy is speaking softly. Sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait is brandishing the big stick. That tells China the reality of the situation… One China means Taiwan is de jure part of China, but is de facto an independent country. Why would China invade Taiwan if it’s already part of China? Such a thing wouldn’t make sense!
But if China were to invade Taiwan they would be an explicit action that indicates Taiwan is not already part of it. There would be no more One China policy because China ended it through their actions.
When Biden was President he made a typical Biden gaff when he was saying things that didn’t conform to the One China policy. Whoopsie! Didn’t mean that… seriously, the One China policy is still going strong *wink*. Was that just a typical Biden gaff, or was that him saying the real policy on Taiwan? We can’t know for sure, but China got the message. That’s strategic ambiguity.
Needless to say Donald Trump has no understanding of the nuance of strategic ambiguity. In fact he’s more worried about not upsetting his good friend Xi.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_arms_sales_to_Taiwan
The US has been arming Taiwan for decades. Why would that be necessary if the US considered Taiwan to be part of China? You’re confusing diplomacy for policy.
Maybe you can tell us why China hasn’t gone ahead and invaded Taiwan yet, if the US has supported the One China policy for decades?
China, the US, and Taiwan view Taiwan as belonging to China as per the One China doctrine.
Username does not compute.
Did you think you were being clever?
Anyone know how fox news is spinning it to the Maga folk? I can’t bring myself to look at the cancer.
Idk, but I’ve seen “Zelensky is a welfare queen asking for a handout” narrative and Zelensky is short and Donald tall so he gooder takes from the right. They are absolutely fucked in the head.
I remember before they criticized him for not wearing a suit which is a talking point that conveniently made to that meeting. Appearance doesn’t matter to them so much as the coverage.
He should come to the next meeting (if there is one) in a tan suit.
Eating a hamburger with Dijon mustard
Zelenskyy gave Fox and interview which came off quite well.
Zelenski is an ungrateful bitch who got bitch slapped by Trump and will now give the US everything trump wants because trump best!
Something like that, probably
Just to clarify: I think zelenski is an example to the world and I think it’s very fair to call him the Churchill of our generation.
Churchill was an asshole garbage too
The leaders you want in a war aren’t the ones you want in peaceful times and vice versa. But when there is war, it’s important to have one of the leaders who’re good at managing the country in such a situation, and that applies to both Churchill and Zelenskiy.
Yes, they both have many flaws. But that doesn’t mean someone else would be better.
The difference is zelensky has always been a puppet of the US
Care to explain or link an article?
He was kinda shit to India and probably some other things. But that’s just internet contrarian nitpicking stuff. When someone mentions Churchill everyone knows it means a leader that held strong against what seemed an impossible enemy to defeat.
Sounds like something a Hitler glazer would say.
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Who cares what others think of the US, it’s all a facade. Regardless who’s in office the world sees us as a joke. Homelessness, incarceration rates, low education, poverty, no healthcare, stagnant wages, there’s a thousand things to look down on about the US other than a fanatical asshole.
Sure but we’re all used to that. But we’ve never seen a President deliberately sabotage US interests in this way.
TIL allowing homelessness, high incarceration rates, low education, poverty, lack of health care, and stagnant wages isn’t sabotaging US interests
The problem with the US is that American exceptionalism has made Americans unable to distinguish between global politics and domestic politics.
In short, other countries generally don’t concern themselves with US domestic politics, because the concept of sovereignty means countries don’t interfere in each other’s domestic problems.
You need to work on your reading comprehension
Ah, the duality of the United States. An greedy evil imperialistic Nation that undermines everyone else, but also USAID is going away and people are wondering wtf they are going to do to get by.
USAID has never been anything but a tool of US imperialism and regime change masquerading as charity
Yea but freedumb! Ma guns!
What matters to trump is what he makes himself feel about the event, not what actually happened. The Führer feels he was strong, therefore America strong, because he’s all that matters in the picture. Absolutely no other factors need intrude.
It’s an infantile vision of what a strong man is. He’s a caricature and the US is a joke as a result.
Of course it is. The country as a whole is infantile since they identified enough with him to vote him in.
Hey, this country’s been infantile for a lot longer than Trump has been alive
At the time Trump built Trump Tower, Jackie Kennedy was the most famous and beloved person in New York City. Undisputed Queen of high society. Her pet project was preservation of great New York architecture. Everyone knew about her efforts to save Grand Central Station.
The building Trump razed to put up the Tower was considered one of the most beautiful on 5th Avenue. Everyone told Trump that he could preserve the façade of the building and still have a massive skyscraper on top.
So, Trump ignored everyone and demolished the building after promising to preserve parts of it.
That’s the kind of idiot he has always been.
Now I want to learn about that building.
https://drivingfordeco.com/stewart-and-company/
There’s actually a picture of Jackie O and John Jr. shopping in the store.
That was the most beautiful building? I hate Trump but it’s so plain. I was expecting something actually cool looking.
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Real “Oh you like buildings? Name all of them.” energy
Not really. It has more of a “show us what you consider good so we can tell whether your taste is actually decent and your opinion is worth considering, or your taste is kinda whack in the first place” energy.
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No one said Trump Tower is better, only that the original building should, by basically any metric, be considered “among the most beautiful in New York”.
✨ Reading comprehension ✨
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Yea dude, it’s got a fancy entryway visible even in the first photo that I suppose I should have mentioned, and a lot of interior stuff that is specifically not part of the façade, which is what people had asked him to keep on the lower floors.
I’d say try harder but you might hurt yourself.
Wow, they replaced boring with tacky. Yea it was a downgrade but c’mon, that thing’s a plain block of concrete with a couple of carvings so high up that no one can even really see them. I was expecting it too at least look like the Flat Iron building or something(which isn’t wild, but at least it has texture).
That building was Albert Einstein
The US federal abomination continues its rapid deterioration
I’m not pro trump but I am a libertarian, this shit was downright disgraceful. Shows how mature he is.
He took away anyone’s right to ever suggest a woman would be too emotional to be president lmao.
You expect Republicans to be consistent? They live for hypocrisy.
Karens yelling at cashiers in the checkout line also think they’re humiliating their victims.
U.S.S.A.
We should honestly update maps to show America as a Russian state. It’s still crazy that America won the cold war, but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
We should honestly stop blaming russia for USA having always been a garbage slave empire.
It’s been obvious since at latest 2014 that the cold war never ended, merely paused.
The tough guy act falls pretty flat to me when if it came down to it I’m pretty sure the average 13 year old could deal with this geriatric old man. Like gramps your bones are made of glass.
