Sucking up to Donald Trump is the order of the day as the European allies calculate what his imminent return to the White House means for them. The consensus seems to be that massaging his ego with shameless flattery is the best way to avoid a repeat of past bust-ups and name-calling. But another school of thought warns: Trump will be far worse this time. Know your enemy. Prepare to fight back.
The US president-elect’s appearance in Paris this weekend, at the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral, is akin to throwing down a gauntlet. A nightmare Europeans believed was over has come back to haunt them. It’s real. He’s here again, demanding attention and obeisance. The fawning responses of politicians who previously reviled him speak volumes about Europe’s weakness and divisions.
It’s all rather embarrassing. Cloying praise is genuine in the case of Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orbán, and hard-right populists like Călin Georgescu, who styles himself as Romania’s Trump. The bromantic gestures of Emmanuel Macron, France’s inconstant president, are more disingenuous. He was one of the first to congratulate Trump on his election victory. Having him come to Paris is seen, rather pathetically, as a diplomatic coup.
Anyone who is following EU politics knows that the governments aren’t sucking up… they are in on the ride. Almost every country now has an extreme right wing government, some with open connections with Putin as well. Welcome to the 21st century, where every lesson learned is going down the drain.
Too late. They’re already kissing his ass at the Notre Dame ceremony as if it were an official state visit.
I guess they are trying to play him. There were articles about it a while ago that the idea is that as long as he gets to pretend he won great deals and everyone respects him, he doesn’t care how the actual important issues may go.
So if the EU gives an inch on some unimportant bullshit, and the press blows it up as something that was super painful for us, but Trump was just so good a negotiator that we had to do it, we may get to get him to even betray Putin.
Fingers crossed, at least.
The alternative is completely alienating the US just because their leader is stupid beyond measure. Wouldn’t be the right choice, even though I hate his guts as much as the next sane person.
Unfortunately, at least for now, Europe needs America, so until Trump crashes the U.S. economy, and I’m guessing that won’t take long, they’ll keep kissing his ass.
Once people can’t afford European exports? Fuck you, Trump.
There were articles about it a while ago that the idea is that as long as he gets to pretend he won great deals and everyone respects him, he doesn’t care how the actual important issues may go.
Toddlercracy
Probably far more productive to simply manipulate him. Idiot that he is.
Trump is not known for measured responses. If he feels like he needs to retaliate for something, expect the simplest, clumsiest, most damaging response.
For example, why do you think he jumped straight to the idea of tariffs? If you imagine a tariff as a wall, then it’s exactly the same as “build a wall and make [the other side] pay for it”.
As such, you’ve got to have him believe you’re being nice, even if you’re not, because if he thinks for one moment you’re not genuine, he’ll lash out like the spoiled child he is.
Same goes for the US “we don’t approve, but decorum must be upheld” Dem leadership cordially welcoming bad faith actors who aim to eliminate democracy itself.
It’s time to get tough
I’ll take things that won’t happen for 200$.
E.g. (auto-translated):
How such preparation for Trump’s success might look was demonstrated by a live broadcast from CDU politician Johann Wadephul on the morning after the 2024 U.S. election. While Merz had warned about Trump before the state elections in eastern Germany, little of that sentiment was evident in his deputy, reports Die Zeit. Wadephul reportedly made no mention of Trump’s extremism or any threat to democracy. Instead, he emphasized, ‘We need a good relationship with whichever U.S. government is in power,’ focusing on economic aspects.
Merz wants to approach Trump: Deal desired before the new election
And the CDU will most likely lead Germany’s next government early next year.
The only silver lining about Trump is that he’s done after 4 years (supposedly). I hate this timeline.
Fat fuck will be dead inside of 4 years. It’s gonna be Prez Vance. For fuck’s sake.
Yeah, the next nut bags are already lining up.
