Donald Trump sinks to a whole new low
Donald Trump is flaunting his love and bromances with various dictators and thugs around the world. This week he said that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman was a “friend of mine” and was “a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening of Saudi Arabia” who he was honored to meet with and talk to.
He met with Puppetmaster Putin and told the press – and by his words all of us, the citizens of the United States – that it was none of our business what he talked with Putin about. He also joked with Putin about journalists and getting rid of them. One would hope and presume that Trump understands how sickening that statement and “joke” is, given the number of journalists who have been “gotten rid of” by Putin and his regime over the last several years. Trump’s joking about this while constantly yelling about the media being the “enemy of the people” at his rallies is wrong and dangerous.
Trump also tweeted to his bromance partner, Kim Jong Un: “After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!”
Like a secret note passed between co-eds in grade school in years gone by, “meet me under the apple tree,” Trump hopes that Kim is looking at his tweets, understands them, and will magically show up at the DMZ. To paraphrase Representative Adam Schiff: maybe the right and GOP leadership is okay with this consorting with these frenemies, but I am not, and nobody should be. The defense of all of these secret meetings with these leaders is that it is part of diplomacy. But a president and his family who have business dealings with at least two of these nations and who refuses to disclose what is discussed is a danger to our republic.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.