It can be credibly argued that a US President’s most important and consequential function is communicating directly with other heads of state. Certainly since America shed its isolationist bent with its participation in World War I, Woodrow Wilson spending months in Europe on an ill-fated quest to sell his internationalist vision of future nation-state relations, the importance of personal White House diplomacy has only increased.
FDR’s meetings with Stalin and Churchill secured an existentially critical alliance and then created the post-war order, laying seed to the Cold War and dooming colonialism. Harry Truman went to Potsdam a Missouri hayseed and returned, if not a statesman, definitely where the buck stopped regarding US national interests.
JFK got schooled by the cagey and more seasoned Nikita Khrushchev at their first meeting in Vienna, Austria. Those who worried Kennedy’s youth was a concern had their doubts reinforced as the Soviet leader seemed to push an under prepared JFK around. Kennedy swore afterwards that sort of thing would never happen again; it didn’t, at least during the short time he had left, which happened to include a missile crisis that could have resulted in isotopic mist had he not matured accordingly.
Say what you will about Richard Nixon, his visits to China and the Soviet Union broke new ground and got things done. The Trickster may have left much to be desired in the honorable national leader department, but he could hold his own with totalitarians. Both the opening of China and Detente were genuine policy accomplishments, historic in scope. As my father liked to say: “only a Nixon could have pulled them off.”
Nonetheless, for all the pomp and photo ops of summits and formal diplomacy, in the modern Presidency business with other nations – friend or foe – has been largely handled over the phone. It has been part and parcel of the US leadership brand that a phone call with the POTUS is a big deal. Talking to an American President is not something any foreign leader has ever viewed as less than an honor of their job, necessitating they be at the very top of their game and choose their words with care and respect…. until now.
Those of us masochistic enough to monitor Donald Trump’s Twitter feed long ago understood him incapable of rising to any challange other than possibly from an East Wing couch to retrieve the remote; his is a guttural existence no matter the occasion. Yet and still, what has emerged from Carl Bernstein’s recent reporting about Trump’s loathsome telephone conduct toward allies, and servile ineptitude toward adversaries, confirms his wretchedness can still shock anew and leave the thoughtful amazed we remain a going concern. It’s something we expected, but the details are stunning anyway.
One of the great pictures capturing Barrack Obama’s grace is a shot of him walking and chatting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He is making a point to her as they amble side-by-side while she is both enrapt and amused at what he is saying. Her look toward him exhibits both respect and genuine affection, presumably just what we want allies to feel for our leader. But that was then, this is now, seemingly another world away.
That a powerful woman of Merkel’s stature and authority would unnerve Trump is hardly surprising. Nor are reports his depraved insults – actually calling her “stupid” and in the pocket of Russia – left her unfazed, “like water off a duck’s back” – as she generally retorted with a recitation of facts our bully-in-chief is never interested in hearing. However, the fact German officials were so alarmed by the “abusive” tone Trump constantly employed toward Merkel that they felt impelled to keep the exchanges secret, clarifies Trump’s behavior was not just disgraceful and embarrassing, but dangerous as well. But for the patience and good faith of Merkel, who knows what could have resulted.
Britain’s Theresa May, also being a woman and therefore fit to be bullied as well in the eyes of our national lowlife. was rattled by Trump’s nastiness. No doubt calling our closest ally “a fool” for exhibiting insufficient recklessness in the disposition of Brexit would play well at a superspreader rally, but the precious few who could qualify as adults left in the White House at the time, like National Security Advisor John Bolton were aghast, literally viewing the President as an imminent danger to the country.
But while Trump’s abuse toward allies merely harmed relations and abdicated leadership, his communications with dictators like Putin, Turkey’s Recep Erdogan and MBS in Saudi Arabia cost America plenty more than goodwill. How much more isn’t as clear as it should be because many of the calls are classified, but there is unanimous consensus by a plethora of former White House officials that the national interest was always in dire jeopardy whenever Mr. Art-of-the-Deal was on the line and over his head.
Which was often, as foreign strongmen, particularly Erdogan, understood the easy pickings available “negotiating” with Trump. Apparently, Erdogan had a direct line to the President and used it frequently. Many Kurds would die as a result of Trump’s abrupt edict to withdraw US special forces, who were aided immeasurably by fighters Erdogan only wants to destroy. Meanwhile, we now know Trump was briefed long ago on the bounties Russia placed on US troops in Afghanistan. There is infuriatingly little doubt whose word our civic catastrophe would be taking on that matter. By all accounts Putin-Trump phone calls were one-sided affairs, with plenty of deference from the Bunker Boy.
The outrages keep coming with this President. Every day it’s a list of calamities, each more than enough to have paralyzed any previous administration. This one was never going anywhere but backwards to begin with, so what we have has become just more of the same, which is what it always was… ruinous to the nation. We impeached Trump for his criminal recklessness on the phone with a foreign leader. Calling what is emerging now a pattern is absurd; it is a norm no less disqualifying. Instead, GOP leaders are complaining about why we have been allowed to know these repeated disgraces occurred. Think about that one… and then get very upset. BC
As damning as befits this fools weasel like behavior, as well as the nature of this documents description of it. Keep your eye on the prize BC.
Nice reference to Obama/Merkel. I recall the photo. I can’t imagine T having a real relationship with anyone. He sees other people as instruments. His only mode of social functioning is dominance and servility, which is why he is in awe of dictators. He was OK talking on HS about his own daughter being a POA. He is defective even in family relationships. And he thinks its “cool” to speak this way because it shows he’s not PC.
Tom, to me what this reporting really underscores is how little time is required to utterly destroy decades of fastidiousness. Trump has been a flamethrower to our position in the world. Fully needless, wholly reckless, preposterously stupid. Let’s hope the damage can be repaired. BC
I am hopeful. Policy changes could happen on Day One of a new presidency. Personal relationships would quickly follow. This is an idiocracy not a revolution.