Trump Trolls Baltic Leaders - Implies They Are All Stupid, And Does It All in the Third Person to Boot
On Tuesday, President Trump had welcomed the Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The reason for this meeting was the 100-year anniversary of these countries' separation from Russia.
Trump's words during the working dinner with the Balts were especially memorable. The host did most of the talking while the guests were chewing. The only sounds they made were in agreement or for the servile flattery for the US leader. For instance, here Lithuania's Dalia Grybauskaitė, single, is happy about the pressure she's under.
Dalia Grybauskaitė: “About 80% of NATO's expenses are for the US. This is why the US vote is so important when it comes to the reforms. We support you and we're with you. I think that today, the Baltic countries are your best allies in Europe and in NATO. Besides, we do our homework, we're upgrading our armies. We're already spending 2% on defense. I repeat, this is the good kind of pressure for us, all the NATO members. And this type of leadership is good".
Of course, many of our neighbors spoke of the threat Russia poses. It's everywhere. For the Baltic leaders, Russophobia is a national idea, the foundation of their foreign policy, and the main export merchandise. Trump caught onto the tune, and to appear more dramatic, he suddenly started talking of himself in the third person.
Donald Trump, the US President: "Nobody has a harsher policy towards Russia than Donald Trump."
When a child speaks of themselves in the third person, psychologist say they haven't come of age yet. When Donald Trump speaks of himself in the third person, he looks like he's admiring his new outfit in the mirror. However, it's not clear yet whether he's ready to identify with the person he sees and describes. Is he ready to be responsible for the person he sees? After mentioning his harsh foreign policy several times, Trump came to a conclusion, unexpected for all his guests: his guests are stupid. He didn't hesitate to say it to their faces in person and in a confident manner.
Donald Trump, the US President: "To be honest, we're being very harsh to Russia. However, if we get along with Russia, it'll be a good thing, not a bad one. Perhaps, we won't get along. We'll see if we can do that. If we can pull it off, it's great, but we'll see what happens. Time will show. But, nobody has ever taken such a harsh stand with Russia. However, getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing. And almost everybody agrees with that, except very stupid people".
Nobody decided to argue with Trump. The leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia went back to their homes, anticipating the $170,000,000 the US promised them for weapons and military equipment. However, not everyone in the Baltics saw this visit to Washington as a victory.
This is what Sergejs Potapkins, the Latvian Saeima Deputy writes: "The tradition to host presidents in bulk obviously doesn't prove any equal treatment for all countries and nations. No matter how hard the foreign-policy establishments try to turn humiliation into victory, telling us about the Baltic unity, this practice mainly shows what spot our president has chosen for us".