If there’s one notable thing about President Trump and his foreign policy as it has developed over the past twenty-two months is the extent to which he has become stunningly obsequious to authoritarian rulers while at the same time seemingly doing everything possible to insult and alienate American allies in Europe as well as here in North America with respect to Mexico and Canada, something I’ve noted here, here, and here, That tendency came into full display last night during the President’s interview with Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes,” as well as comments he made today regarding the apparent murder of Washington Post columnist, Saudi dissident, and American Permanent Resident Jamal Khashoggi.
At one point during the course of the interview, for example, Trump dismissed the fact that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has brutally murdered thousands of people during the short time he has been in charge of the DPRK and defended his asserted “love” for the man:
President Trump in an interview aired late Sunday doubled down on his praise for Kim Jong Un and claim that he “fell in love” with the dictator, indicating he’s willing to overlook the North Korean leader’s human rights record in order to accomplish his goals on the Korean peninsula.
Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” rattled off the human rights violations Kim is accused of, including that he has starved his own people, and overseen gulags, public executions and the assassination of his half-brother.
“I know all these things. I mean, I’m not a baby,” Trump responded.
“Look … I get along with him, OK?” Trump added.
The president went on to suggest his statement at a rally last month that he “loves” Kim was “just a figure of speech,” but did not walk it back or refute it when pressed by Stahl.
“Let it be whatever it is to get the job done,” Trump said.
“I get along with him really well,” the president continued. “I have a good energy with him. I have a good chemistry with him. Look at the horrible threats that were made. No more threats. No more threats.”
Trump’s rhetoric toward Kim has transformed over the last year as the two countries negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The president spent months mocking Kim as “little Rocket Man” and exchanging threats with the North Korea leader.
The president’s rhetoric softened ahead of a June summit between the two men, and in the aftermath of their meeting in Singapore, Trump has been effusive in his praise of the dictator.
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At a West Virginia rally last month, Trump recounted the shift in relations between the two men.
“I was really being tough and so was he,” the president said. “And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love. No really. He wrote me beautiful letters.”
Here’s a video of the exchange involving the accusations against Kim:
Moving on, Trump was similarly dismissive when it came to the allegations against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has murdered dissidents and journalists and most recently was linked with the attempted assassination of a former Soviet spy currently living in exile in the United Kingdom:
President Trump said he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably” has been involved in assassinations and poisonings, but he appeared to dismiss the gravity of those actions, noting that they have not taken place in the United States.
“Probably he is, yeah. Probably,” Trump told CBS’s Lesley Stahl when asked during an interview on “60 Minutes” whether he thinks Putin is involved “in assassinations, in poisonings.”
“But I rely on them; it’s not in our country,” Trump added.
A long line of Russian dissidents, journalists and others critical of Putin have been poisoned or died under mysterious circumstances; in one of the most recent cases, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter were poisoned in Britain, allegedly by Russian operatives. Russia denies any involvement in the attack.
Trump acknowledged that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign, but he sought to blame other countries, as well.
“They meddled. But I think China meddled, too,” he said.
He later ridiculed the notion that his campaign would seek help from Russia.
“Do you really think I’d call Russia to help me with an election? Give me a break,” Trump said. “They wouldn’t be able to help me at all. Call Russia. It’s so ridiculous.”
Finally, as he was preparing to travel to Florida and George to view the damage caused by Hurricane Michael, the President made some of his first comments about the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi and appeared to state that he is prepared to accept the absurd denials of the Saudi government regarding their involvement in the matter:
WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Monday that he spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia and that the ruler denied any knowledge of what happened to a missing Saudi dissident journalist. After the call, Mr. Trump said it was possible that “rogue killers” were behind the disappearance of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr. Trump’s comments, in a morning Twitter post and later in brief remarks to reporters, come as the Saudis have given Turkish authorities permission to search the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, where local officials believe Mr. Khashoggi, was killed and dismembered earlier this month.
The president said the secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was traveling to Saudi Arabia later Monday morning to meet with King Salman.
Mr. Trump said his conversation with King Salman lasted about 20 minutes, and the king “firmly denied any knowledge of it.”
“It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers — who knows,” Mr. Trump said.
In introducing the possibility that another party could have been involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, the president opened a window for King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stand by their denials.
If the Saudi leaders are found to be behind what happened to Mr. Khashoggi, Mr. Trump would probably face more pressure from Congress and other countries to respond.
Mr. Trump acknowledged the international focus on Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance and Turkish reports that he was dismembered in his conversation with King Salman. Mr. Trump said he told the king, “The world is watching. The world is talking, and this is very important to get to the bottom of it.”
The Saudi state news service reported a slightly different take on the conversation. In it, according to the report, Mr. Trump praised the cooperation between the Saudis and Turkish officials as they investigate Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Mr. Trump said his conversation with King Salman lasted about 20 minutes, and the king “firmly denied any knowledge of it.”
“It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers — who knows,” Mr. Trump said.
In introducing the possibility that another party could have been involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, the president opened a window for King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stand by their denials.
If the Saudi leaders are found to be behind what happened to Mr. Khashoggi, Mr. Trump would probably face more pressure from Congress and other countries to respond.
Mr. Trump acknowledged the international focus on Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance and Turkish reports that he was dismembered in his conversation with King Salman. Mr. Trump said he told the king, “The world is watching. The world is talking, and this is very important to get to the bottom of it.”
The Saudi state news service reported a slightly different take on the conversation. In it, according to the report, Mr. Trump praised the cooperation between the Saudis and Turkish officials as they investigate Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance.
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On Sunday, in an interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS, Mr. Trump said that even as the Saudis deny involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, it was still possible that they were responsible.
Mr. Trump said that because Mr. Khashoggi is a journalist, the case was even more serious.
“There’s something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that were the case,” Mr. Trump told CBS. “We’re going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment.”
This is all typical for the this President, of course. While he has, as I’ve stated before, spared no words in attacking American allies and long-time loyal friends like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, this President has specifically avoided any and all opportunities to criticize the leaders of authoritarian regimes. Instead, he has repeatedly expressed admiration for dictators such as President al-Sisi in Egypt, President Duetere in The Philippines, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, and, of course, Vladimir Putin. Over the summer this was on full display over the course of two months during which he attacked American allies at the G-7 summit, during the NATO summit in Brussels, and then during a visit to the United Kingdom. Earlier in the year, of course, Trump had further alienated the United States from its allies with his decision to withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran, a decision that was quite simply not justified by the available facts.
Each of these events, of course, was followed by a summit with two of the most ruthless dictators on the planet during which the President was obsequious in his praise and deference. At the Singapore Summit with Kim Jong Un, for example, Trump not only backed away from his fiery rhetoric of a year ago but was openly friendly with Kim, applauding him for supposed progress made that in reality amounted to nothing, and even saluting one of Kim’s top Generals in what can only be called one of the most embarrassing diplomatic incidents since President George H.W.Bush vomited in the lap of the Japanese Prime Minister, and in that case Bush at least had the excuse of being ill. A month later, during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump was equally obsequious and appeared to accept the denials made by the Russian President regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election notwithstanding the fact that all of America’s top intelligence agencies, and the Department of Justice, have conclusively shown that such interference did in fact occur. It was, perhaps, the worst performance of an American President on the international stage since the end of World War Two.
In the past, the President of the United States has at least managed to pay lip service to the idea that regimes that violate human rights should not be embraced, and that our leaders are not our friends. During the Cold War, for example, it was the strong words of Presidents from Kennedy to Reagan that gave people in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union hope that they had not been forgotten by the world. Additionally, human rights issues ranging from the treatment of dissidents to the status of Jews in the former Soviet Union were often at the top of the agenda at summit meetings and often led to strong condemnation when necessary. One of the most notable examples of that, of course, came in the wake of the incident in which Soviet fighter jets shot a South Korean passenger jet out of the skies, killing everyone on board. Other incidents included the inspiring speeches that President Kennedy and President Reagan gave during their respective trips to Berlin. On many occasions, of course, the United States has looked the other way when one of our allies committed human rights violations, but on the whole, we have stood as a moral beacon to the world and our leaders have been willing to condemn dictators when the cross the line.
That’s no longer the case with this President. Instead of condemning and ostracizing dictators who mistreat their citizens, we have a President who condemns and ostracizes the leaders of our most important democratic allies while trashing alliances such as NATO and the G-7 that have helped to spread shared values throughout the world. Instead of speaking out when human rights are violated, we have a President who clearly favors close relationships with men who have authorized the kidnapping and murder of people who have done nothing more than dissent from the leadership of their country and dream of a day when their own countries might recognize the rights that we have come to take for granted. Instead of a President who hails the values that this country stands for, we have a President who repeatedly attacks the free press and undermines the Rule of Law while simultaneously sending a message to the dictators of the world that the new United States will remain silent when they violate the rights of their citizens. Instead of Ronald Reagan’s shining city on a hill that sends a message of freedom and liberty around the world, we have Donald Trump’s Fortress America that basically tells the oppressed people of the world that the United States will do nothing, not even offer words of condemnation, when they are victimized by the men claiming to be their leaders. Over the course of just twenty-odd months, this President has destroyed everything this country was supposed to stand for and damaged our reputation on the world stage. And he’s not done.
