U.S.-Russia Summit: “How Much More Trump Must We Endure?” Asks German Broadcaster
Trump Derangement Syndrome continues…
President Donald Trump’s meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki received some sharp criticism from the mainstream European media. Following Monday’s summit, newspapers and news outlets on this side of the Atlantic made hay about the critical remarks coming from Arizona Republican senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and former CIA Director John Brennan.
“Trump’s behavior [at the summit] was catastrophic,” said the German newspaper Die Welt. “He made too many concessions to Putin. Many Republicans were shocked. And the former CIA chief even spoke of treason,” referring Brennan’s tweet that Trump’s “press conference performance in Helsinki” was “nothing short of treasonous.”
“Will Republicans punish Trump for his performance with Putin?” asked the left-wing British newspaper The Guardian, thereby lamenting that “despite the deep disappointment and shock, leading Republicans lawmakers have so far failed to pledge any concrete action to punish Trump for his conduct next to Putin.”
“Trump’s apparent concessions to Putin over the election controversy drew stinging condemnation from across the political divide,” echoed the French news agency AFP.
“Slew of criticism from Republicans” over Trump’s handling of Helsinki summit reported the German weekly Der Spiegel. Summing up Trump’s Europe visit, Der Spiegel commented:
Trump stayed for a week in Europe and created a big furor. First, he criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel at the NATO summit in Brussels and rebuked the British Prime Minister Theresa May in London. Following the summit in Helsinki, Trump faces criticism from the members of his own party. He has been accused of refraining from making a clear statement against the Russian collusion in the 2016 US election—and thus signalling weakness. [Translation by the author]
The sharpest critique probably came the Germany’s state-run TV network Deutsche Welle.
“Will Donald Trump betray US and EU in Putin talks?” asked Deutsche Welle ahead of the meeting. “Even before the summit in Helsinki, it’s clear that the US president may sacrifice European allies on the altar of his own vanity.”
“How much more Trump must we endure?” lamented the broadcaster after the summit. “The reality TV star-turned president’s recent statements have been difficult to listen to.”
Deutsche Welle capped its day’s coverage with a glowing tribute to Chancellor Angela Merkel on her 64th birthday with a video clip “[l]ooking back at how she steadily became one of the world’s most powerful women.”
In a separate article, The Guardian portrayed the Helsinki summit as the “return to the era in which big powers have self-interests not allies.” The newspaper also complained that Trump had “stir[ed] things up in Britain in order to damage the EU” during his UK visit.
It is “troubling [that] Europe sat on the spectator bench” while the two world leaders met in the Finnish capital, commented the leading German public broadcaster ARD. “One thing is certain: the meeting is a success for both the presidents. Donald Trump can proclaim victory because he succeeded in meeting the Russian President face-to-face, against the wishes of this advisers. Much like friends. Without the establishment, as he likes to tells his voters.”
While the meeting could lead to a slight thaw in US-Russia relationships, it will have no impact on the ongoing EU-Russia hostilities over a range of issues. Trump taking the US out of this equation does weaken Brussels bargaining position.
Moreover, the EU, and particularly Germany, can’t blame Trump for weakening their hand. In the run up to the summit, Merkel’s government tried its best to undermine the US president.
Ahead of the meeting between the two world leaders in Helsinki, Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters that “America led by Trump can’t be trusted.” Given Trump’s America First policy, “we need to align ourselves even more closely in Europe,” Maas concluded. With Europe, he obviously means the self-appointed EU commissariat headquartered in Brussels.
Given the multi-billion energy deals Germany is closing with Putin’s regime, Berlin should have little to complain about Helsinki summit.
If the European media reaction is any indicator, the EU establishment has once again been rattled by Trump’s unflinching stances on issues like the trade deficit, Brexit, or NATO spending by allies. In Trump, they are not dealing with a run-of-the-mill career politician; and for some strange reason they just can’t wrap their head around it.
Video: British politician Nigel Farage on Trump-Putin summit
[Cover image via YouTube]
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Comments
As a penalty for ruining the previous century, Germany needs to sit out this century.
You make a valid point. Given the atrocities Deutschland inflicted on the world in the last Century. Somehow it is just hard to take Frau Merkel and her ilk seriously.
NATO has a dual purpose. Keeping the Fatherland in check is its second role.
In fact the gosh darn British (aside from Churchill) were not as anxious to get Hitler in the last century as this current crop is to get Trump.
Trump must be onto something. He is threatening their globalist agenda. They must be very frightened.
In 37 years, Europe triggered 2 world wars, killed 100,000,000 people and devastated the continent twice.
Since 1945, the USA has been bribing the EU to play nice. But, we are no longer spending our Blood and Treasure to protect Europe.
To Germany I say – AMF-YOYO.
Adios (My Friend). You’re on you’re own.
I think this Broadcaster’s complaint would have sounded much more sincere if he first wailed “Ach du LIEBER!!! While he was eating a big plate of sausages.
I believe the appropriate answer is, “2378 days, Bitch.”
Followed by a swift kick in the pussy.
Geez, It wasn’t FDR at Yalta.
Anything that makes the socialist republic state heads of Germany squirm is good news to me.
Keep em twisting
“How much more Trump must we endure?”
No worries mate. We’re not going to hang around for Germany’s slow motion suicide.
Earth and water, bitch. I look forward to watching your submission to Allah. Don’t forget to cover up your women.
Downfall Parody
Hitler learns Germans are pussies
Better yet, Hitler finds out Germany is now a caliphate.
He’d have been OK with that. He thought the wrong side won at Tours, and that Europe would have been better off with Islam than with Christianity.
and when obama messed with cuban policy they were fine with it….
Chancellor Merkel’s Fourth Reich continues.
Iteration; internationalist multiculturalism.
The Hun. At your feet or at your throat.
“Will Barack Obama betray US and EU in [XXXX] talks?” asked no journalist ever.
More media applause for:
Bowing to the Emperor of Japan. Because Guadalcanal. Or something something.
Well, was that ever a question?
How Much More Trump Must We Endure? All of it. You’re welcome.
I’m looking at the nonstop vituperation, and wondering if perhaps I might have missed something. Maybe Trump did screw up. Then I got to this—
Following the summit in Helsinki, Trump faces criticism from the members of his own party. He has been accused of refraining from making a clear statement against the Russian collusion in the 2016 US election—and thus signalling weakness.
So that’s it. He didn’t parrot the line the D’rats have been trying to feed him.
Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like weakness to me.
Trump is the only person on the planet who absolutely knows if he was colluding with anybody to win the election by crooked means. If, as he’s always said, there was no such collusion, then Putin would think he’s a moron for insisting that there was, because both of them know otherwise. The Russians would know they weren’t dealing with a President, but merely with the D’rats’ patsy. Which would be perfectly fine with the Press, the Senate, and … I don’t know, the Advotatus Diaboli, perhaps.
But it wouldn’t be OK with me, and, it seems, it wouldn’t be OK with President Trump, either.
DJT, all of the IC witnesses, and now Mr. Rosenstein have all acknowledged that there was no collusion between DJT or his campaign and the Russians. This has been very consistent.
However, the Democratic politicians at the national level and the Democratic media have been busy lying about the IC testimony and conflating Russia’s attempted election interference with collusion by Americans with them.
The evident animus from Brennan and Strozk has some other source, probably the Democratic Party’s own koolaid.
Want more Trump? Well you’re going to get more Trump whether you want it or not! About 6-1/2 more years of Trump! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
But keep whining about it, Euroweenies. Your tears are so, so sweet. Almost as good as the leftists’ here.
90F here. Just opened an ice cold liberal tears light to celebrate your comment.
Concessions to Russia? Now THERE’S something the Germans would know about.
And the Democrats.
I find it hilarious that, after sixty years of us conservatives trying to tell them, the Democrats FINALLY agree that Russia is bad. Baby steps, baby steps…
How long? Hopefully 6 more years directly, and many many decades because US Presidents are trying to emulate Trump and Reagan.
Anyone know what all these concessions Trump is supposed to have made??
Has he stopped killing Russians in Syria as concession? Maybe he’s lifted embargoes against Russian individuals? Bueller?? Anyone?
He accepted a beach soccer ball.
Russia invaded Crimea, and lied about it. Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, and lied about it. Russia has interfered with democratic institutions across Europe, and lied about it. Russia interfered in the U.S. election, and lied about it. These violations of sovereignty threaten the international system in place since WWII. The incursions into Ukraine are especially dangerous in this regard..
Trump has weakened NATO. Trump has distanced the U.S. from economically powerful, democratic allies, while cozying up to economically weak, authoritarian governments. If he were a Russian agent, he couldn’t have done more to weaken U.S. standing in the world.
If he were a Russian agent, he could have drawn a red line in the sand in Syria, then he could have backed down like a Leo ward when the Russians crossed that line. He also could have told Vlad that he will have more “flexibility” after he has been re-elected.
But, but, what about!
Shaming NATO members to pay their fair share is not “weakening” them.
Spotlighting unbalanced trade deals is not “distancing” them.
Calling you out for palming an Ace is not “disrespectful”
But at least you didn’t attempt to float “the rest of the world is laughing at us” bullshit.
Fen: Shaming NATO members to pay their fair share is not “weakening” them.
NATO members had already agreed to raise defence spending to 2% of GDP on a per country basis. Talks no as if they are arrears in what they owe the U.S. Is just inane. Publicly humiliating friendly democratic allies only makes it politically more difficult to increase military spending.
Fen: Spotlighting unbalanced trade deals is not “distancing” them.
Playing coy about whether the U.S. will honor its treaty commitments, unilaterally imposing tariffs, and insulting entire nations and their leaders, creates instability.
Fen. Oh no! It looks like another milhouse…in the form of zachriel has arisen. Will it never end? I hope not. It’s no fun when the lefties and rinos aren’t there to provide the straight lines. Welcome, zachriel!
Zach: “NATO members had already agreed to…”
To what? Meet the commitment they had already agreed to? Worthless. Spotlight the deadbeats or you’ll spend all weekend hunting the guy dodging you over a $20 loan. And what good is NATO these days? Europe still believes “daddy” will cover their mortgage (witness the Paris Accords, America was expected to cover most of the billion dollar a year tab). It’s time Europe grew up.
Zach: trade deals, tarriffs
“The best way to understand the Trump presidency is as the renegotiation of the post-World War II institutional structure. Naturally, the barnacles don’t like that. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong, but the intensity of their screaming indicates their emotional (and livelihood) investment, not who’s right.” – Glenn Reynolds
Nice avatar by the way. Civ3? Germany was my go to nation when I wanted to play rough
Fen: Meet the commitment they had already agreed to?
That’s right. It’s the Wales Summit Declaration, and NATO countries have agreed to increase spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. The victory Trump claim was just a restatement of that Declaration.
Fen: And what good is NATO these days?
Collective defence is a stabilizing force.
NATO Article 5 has been invoked only once since 1949, after the attacks of 9-11. A third of all combat deaths in Afghanistan were of non-U.S. NATO forces. NATO forces are still deployed in Afghanistan.
Fen: The best way to understand the Trump presidency is as the renegotiation of the post-World War II institutional structure.
Unilateral tariffs are not the best way to renegotiate with long-time allies.
–
Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up. — G. K. Chesterton
Whataboutism is not a fallacy when it correctly points out that ones opponent is in no position to complain about an alleged offense that he is himself undoubtedly guilty of, or supported, in far greater measure.
The clean hands doctrine is a fundamental principle of our laws, and I would just like to see someone counter it in court by instructing the judge that Wikipedia says it’s a fallacy. It is entirely appropriate, on being accused of having a splinter between ones teeth, to point out the beam that is embedded between the accuser’s eyes. Those who complain that Israel is judged by standards that have never been applied to any other country ever, and that its accusers unanimously repudiate for themselves, are not engaged in a fallacy.
Trump’s performance this week is nothing to brag about. But the spectacle of John Brennan accusing anyone of treason is as ludicrous as would be Bernard Madoff complaining of theft or either Clinton of corruption.
Milhouse: Whataboutism is not a fallacy when it correctly points out that ones opponent is in no position to complain about an alleged offense that he is himself undoubtedly guilty of, or supported, in far greater measure.
We are not Obama, nor have we supported every action of Obama.
Whataboutism, in this case, is clearly a fallacy of distraction. The idea is to turn the discussion to Obama’s actions, not Trump’s actions. See how it works:
But, as you can see, the net effect of the whataboutism is to divert the discussion. Russia invaded a sovereign country in violation of the foundation of international law. Trump has repeatedly sided with Russia and other autocratic regimes, while insulting U.S. allies and alliances. Nothing Obama did or supposedly did addresses that.
I’ve got a message for this weedy little broadcaster. A. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. B. Leck mich am arsch.
“How much more Trump must we endure?”
At this rate, about 6 years.
If it were not for Trump and our doing the heavy lifting for NATO Germany would be wondering how long they would have to endure Mr. Putin while working to upgrade the trans Siberian railroad.
Best show on politics, ever!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU
The Germans can go piss up a rope. They are generally a bunch of neo-feudal socialists who do very little except hate America. They are not allies, nor have they been for quite some time.
They’re still a little crabby about losing two world wars.
To put things in perspective on NATO defence spending:
NATO Europe-Canada, $300 billion
Russia, $65 billion
“How much more Trump must we endure?”
He’s not your president, but hopefully for another six years.
Quit your whining. America had to endure eight years of DUH WON.