Trump's Presidential Folly
It's hard to know where to begin.... so many things that have made Trump a folly in the White House. To be fair, there are some things that are going well for him, hmm, the economy. But even that has sputtered with ups and downs in the stock market. It makes you wonder what America will be like in 2020.
Everyday there seems to be mostly troublesome news for Trump. Whether it is from the Mueller investigation, criminal charges of his top men, or his top selections resigning because in the end, Trump is a jerk to work for. He will abandon you in a flash if you do not be loyal and take hits for him. Trump's only devout support is from Fox News and the narrow 40% of voters who just look the other way when it comes to his obvious faults, too many to list.
Whether he colluded with the Russians or not, we know why he is soft on certain countries, like Saudi Arabia and Russia. We know because for Trump, it is all about business and what is good for his personal gain and if America gains also, that is okay, too. Take the revelation that the Saudis reserved 500 rooms at his hotel, and regardless of the valid reason provided, it is still a benefit Trump gets and does violate the emolument clause prohibiting the president from monetary gains while being president. And that is just ONE of his hotels. The Saudis and others are, in effect, bribing the president and this leads to Trump being soft on Saudi Arabia and Russia. This leads him to say stupid things and disbelieving his own CIA reports dismissing them as, "maybe they did, maybe they did not". We all know why this IS his position because he does not want his company of hotels to lose customers like the Saudis, for one. Reserving 500 rooms pulled this one hotel out of the red and made it huge profits, which in turn, Trump benefits from. It is not rocket science.
We now know that his softness on Putin and Russia stems from pre-presidential yearning to have a Trump tower in Moscow in 2013-14. Despite his denials, there is more than enough evidence to show he is just a liar about his business dealings then. So, today, he still would like one there, which explains why he tiptoes around Russia and Putin. He does not want to cause problems with Putin while being president because he also knows he could lose in 2020. If that is the case, being soft on Russia will help him be in the good graces business-wise with Putin. Trump is thinking long term. Most businessmen do. But, meanwhile, American foreign policy may suffer, depending on events.
The same can be said of China, the rising new superpower. Where is Trump on the Chinese annexation of the South China Sea? The Chinese have occupied and built military bases on 3-5 key islands. They have placed airbases, anti-ship missiles, radars and jet fighters on many of them. Yet, not a peep from Trump and America. All the U.S. does is conduct naval drive-by with Chinese giving us warnings that this area is Chinese. One day, when China is ready, they will take action on a U.S. ship, what will Trump do? Pretend it was not that serious because China has much of American debt and the Trump organization benefits from their good relations.
The adversaries of America know full well what makes Trump tick: business deals that help his own brand and America, or just his own brand. They know by just looking at how Trump is soft on Russia and Saudi Arabia because of Trump's own business deals and future possibilities in those countries. They use this as leverage when they can and why wouldn't they? Its just business!
Of course, Trump's supporters all think this is much about nothing. They think it is just part of the Trump method and are willing to just look away. Trump has not yet been really tested in foreign policy with a military crisis. Would he really be willing to bite the hand that feeds his own personal gain from the Trump business if it were China, Russia, or Saudi Arabia?
Maybe he would, maybe not.