Is Donald Trump mad? (Revisited)
By Ad astra
Around two years ago, The Political Sword published Is Donald Trump mad? In November of last year, it published Is Donald Trump crumbling?
It could be argued that Trump’s recent behaviour warrants another such article. But why bother? We’ve said it all before, as have columnists the world over.
Trump’s recent behaviour has been characterized by requests directed to the Ukraine leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and less specifically, to ‘China’, to ‘investigate’ his adversary Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, whom Trump accuses of corruption. This foray portrays an even more bizarre motive than most – to discredit a possible opponent in the 2020 Presidential election. Biden may not be his opponent, but Trump, exposing his deep-seated paranoia, wants to kill him off politically well ahead of time.
More recently, Trump announced that he was withdrawing his troops from Syria’s border with Turkey to allow Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to carry out a plan to create what Erdogan calls a ‘safe zone’ in northern Syria. This move has evoked astonishment, anger and trenchant criticism from fellow Republicans, who regard this precipitous move as foolhardy and dangerous. Many regard the deserting of the Kurds, a loyal ally against Islamic State, as reprehensible. The awful outcome of Erdogan’s invasion of Syria is being displayed on our TV screens every day. Islamic State fighters may soon be unleashed once more to wreak the brutal havoc they have exhibited in the past.
So instead of repeating the well-worn words of dismay that you are now reading in countless political columns, let me remind you of what we’ve said previously.
Here’s the introduction to Is Donald Trump Mad?
No, I don’t mean ‘hopping mad’. We know that he is hopping mad with the media and its ‘fake news’, with CNN particularly, and with some of its commentators whom he has chosen to label as intellectually deficient, and unpleasant to the eyes (bleeding from a face lift!).
We know he is hopping mad about the criticism he attracts.
We know he prefers admiration, adulation, even reverence.
We know he craves the hero worship he received as host and star in his TV reality show The Apprentice. We know he needs his image to be polished endlessly. Fame is more important to him than fortune.
No, I mean ‘mad’ in the clinical sense, in the sense of the many synonyms of the word: mentally disturbed, insane, lunatic, maniacal, even crazy or crazed. Some peri-clinical synonyms of ‘mad’ too might be applicable: unstable, erratic, unsafe, dangerous, perilous, foolish, even senseless.
‘Mad’ derives in part from the Old English ‘gemædde’: ‘out of one’s mind’, ‘extremely stupid’, ‘insane’ or ‘foolish’.
Do you see a nexus between these words and Trump’s behaviour?
Let me present you with some evidence so that you can make up your own mind about whether Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America is indeed ‘mad’.
Click here to read the whole piece.
Now, read the beginning of Is Donald Trump crumbling?:
As you witness the increasingly bizarre behaviour of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, the mightiest nation on earth, do you wonder about his mental state? Do you speculate about his stability, his judgement, his reasoning? Recent events, piled on each other, beg the question; ”Is Donald Trump crumbling”?
Mental deterioration can afflict any of us quite suddenly. On the other hand, it can overcome us in a number of smaller steps. Could this be the case with Donald Trump?
Let’s recount some recent events that are indicative.
Take the devastating fires in Southern California that Vox described ”…as the single most destructive and third-deadliest fire in state history”. In its account of the fires, Reuters reported: ”Donald Trump is known for his fiery comments, but his recent tweet has outraged prominent celebrities who slammed it as ‘demented’.
What did he say? Did he empathise with those who had lost their houses? Did he express horror at the appalling loss of life? No. He reflected on the emergency, in a Tweet of course, with: “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!” A dire threat as a proxy for empathy!
This example alone is sufficient to raise the suspicion of significant mental deterioration, even in someone as bizarre as Trump.
The president of the California Professional Firefighters assailed Trump with “The president’s message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines.” Celebrities lashed out at Trump’s ’ill-judged and out-of-touch’ tweet as an absolutely heartless response…there aren’t even politics involved. As you tweet, there are good American families losing their homes and evacuating into shelters.”
But that’s just the start. Read the rest of the piece here.
Steps are now well advanced to impeach this man. Not only Democrats, but may others see him as a dangerous liability to the United States.
How impeachment will proceed is anyone’s guess, but the need to remove him from office occupies the minds of not just countless Americans, but international observers too.
What a dilemma Trump is for international statesmen and ordinary folk the world over, all of whom fear what this erratic, unpredictable, unbalanced, loud-mouthed, egocentric man will do next. Just listening to his daily harangues from the White House forecourt, and reading his endless Tweets, are enough to alarm any sensible observer. His pronouncements on trade and economic issues have confused the stock market and sent it into disarray.
Which is why we ask once more: Is Donald Trump mad? Let us have your opinion.
If you still have lingering doubts about Donald Trump’s mental state, take a look at this YouTube videotape from MSNBC: The Dangerous case of Donald Trump; 27 Psychiatrists Assess.
This article was originally published on The Political Sword
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Return to home pageIf you want to be President you can be a complete psycho these days -there is a recent lengthy piece in The Atlantic by George Conway called Unfit for Office which looks at Trump from a medical perspective and concludes that he is just that.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/
Trump is no worse than Dubya, actually. Dubya was triple-plank thick. Whoever the Americans elected and will electric they will still create havoc world-wide. That’s just how they are.
can we impeach the man of titanium if trump goes down?
asking for half of Australia
The Economist released its traditional end of year edition where it predicts events of the coming year. The 2017 edition is presented in a very occult fashion: A tarot deck modified with cryptic symbols.
Donald Trump is sitting on the globe while holding an orb and a scepter – objects referring to a monarchy. In other words, Trump is the king of the world. Monarchy and democracy are political systems that are extremely different. The Economist appears to be predicting that Trump will rule the world like a monarch. (They didn’t predict his sanity!)
Nothing unplanned happens in politics. If it happens in the political arena, it was planned. US in recession by 2021 will be Trump’s legacy.
On October 9th 2019, Trump stated that he is calling all troops home, ending its wars in the middle east.
On October 12th 2019, Trump stated that the USA is sending 2800 troops to Saudi Arabia in the middle east.
You work it out.
Trump perceives no difference between his own grubby interests and those of the country he was elected to lead. He truly believes “L’etat, c’est moi”. It’s an all too common affliction in leaders ranging from the late King of France, to Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe and usually ends in the same way. Only after they are dead is it conceded that they were, in fact, insane.
Is Trump a victim of tertiary syphilis? Only the doctors might be able to find out, directly or indirectly, but, he seems to be unbalanced in a superficially sane enough extreme way, except that it all adds up to danger and illness, surely. The USA will not fully recover from this.
I think it is a bit worse than we think. He was “barking” mad at the beginning of his rise to fame and the presidency. However, what seems to me to be happening is that at that point he was still enmeshed in his cosseted and artificial life where he totally controlled all around him and all those in his coterie “kissed his white ass” to curry favour or avoid his wrath. He inhabited a world where his power was absolute and he was surrounded by sycophants . What happens now is he is increasingly in a situation where his control is diminishing and he deals with people, especially international leaders, from a range of positions, who are not beholden to him and are openly critical of him. This puts him in highly unfamiliar territory and, it seems, his only response is to lash out blindly in a neurotic rage. In these rants, he is more than barking mad, he is, frankly, demented.
A mocked-up video depicting US president Donald Trump stabbing and shooting his political opponents and the media has reportedly been shown at a meeting of the president’s supporters at his Miami resort.
According to the Times, the video was shown last week at the American Priority conference at Doral Miami resort. Speakers at the event included Donald Trump Jr and former White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/14/fake-video-of-trump-shooting-media-and-opponents-shown-at-presidents-resort
Mad as cut snakes, the lot of em.
Narcissism is, from my own research, an extreme form of mental illness. The narcissist does not in anyway understand or accept they are a narcissist, and would not accept clinical diagnosis anyway, that’s the very nature of the narcissistic personality disorder.
Compare the following signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder, the behaviour of Trump.
Grandiose sense of self-importance. …
Lives in a fantasy world that supports their delusions of grandeur. …
Needs constant praise and admiration. …
Sense of entitlement. …
Exploits others without guilt or shame. …
Frequently demeans, intimidates, bullies, or belittles others.
The sad part is – there is no cure!
Is Trump ‘mad’ well probably but the word is one of those PC words these days so I would say he is displaying all the attributes of someone unbalanced.
I do not know about anyone else but Trump frightens the hell out of me !
When Tony Abbott was a seminarian, he was asked to see a psychologist who concluded that “he had developed an inability to be really intimate and that without the warmth and trust of real intimacy he would find life in the celibate priesthood too frustrating and lacking in peace”. But Tony didn’t want an analysis of his difficulties and especially not an analysis couched in the terms of psychology, saying “it was really the seminary staff who needed psychological investigation”.
A recent tweet from Trump said the following and he is 100% correct and sane in this judgement – and its a direct criticism of Bush and Obama – who should be in the dock for war crimes.
.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded.
Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE
Yes Trump is generally regarded by those health professionals who would know to be a Narcissst. And by some to be suffering from Anti Social Personaliity Disorder as well. Sociopath in other words……or Psychopath in common parlance. IIt is common to suffer more than one Personality Disorder or to have them overlap. Psychopath is not a medical term..
mark,
How much money has the American arms industry made and do you really think Donald wants to save money, bring “our boys” home, and stop interfering in the area?
World military expenditure grows to $1.8 trillion in 2018.
Interestingly….
US military spending grew—for the first time since 2010—by 4.6 per cent, to reach $649 billion in 2018. The USA remained by far the largest spender in the world, and spent almost as much on its military in 2018 as the next eight largest-spending countries combined. ‘The increase in US spending was driven by the implementation from 2017 of new arms procurement programmes under the Trump administration.’
The largest absolute increase in spending in 2018 was by the USA ($27.8 billion), while the biggest decrease was by Saudi Arabia (–$4.6 billion).
Military spending in Turkey increased by 24 per cent in 2018 to $19.0 billion, the highest annual percentage increase among the world’s top 15 military spenders.
https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2019/world-military-expenditure-grows-18-trillion-2018
The Pentagon has announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to “enhance the defence of Saudi Arabia”.
“Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorised within the last month,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.
The US has increased the deployment of forces in the region by 14,000 since May, according to CNN. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had requested additional support, Mr Esper said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50021138
Whataboutisms aside Kaye, he has a point doesn’t he?
He’s up against himself and the bloated warhead establishment. It takes a brave man to call out the whole rotten show for what they have done – and as you must know the military intelligence apparatus has been against him since even before day one. Criticise him all you want but give him some credit when he gets its right. It might be a long time before anyone else in the highest office says this sort of thing. Anyway he’s just the president – just – with limited powers and options. His leash is short and they are yanking as hard as they can.
Give Trump credit? I see absolutely nothing praiseworthy in any of his madness. He doesn’t have a plan about anything except trying to get rich. The idea that he is anti-establishment is hilarious. I would suggest any form of intelligence, be it military or otherwise, would be against the insanity of this man-child.
Yes, Trump has a series of accumulated problems:
a) Narcissistic personality.
b) Self-centredness beyond any reasonable limit.
c) Compulsive lying.
d) Delusion.
e) Ideologically neoliberal.
f) Dishonesty.
g) Nepotism.
….. and I am just getting started….
RE:
Can only agree. (Assume you’re talking about Pope Urban II’s call to all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land (circa 1095).
Or did you have a different date in mind?
Re the Trump sanity question as raised – it’s akin to asking – Is the pope a Catholic? Do birds fly? Dogs bark? Or perhaps – Do crocodiles bite? Or Koalas crap in the bush?
More broadly:
As for Trump being brave? Apparently it was only his bone spurs that held him back. Otherwise he’d …
Trump is as mad as a meat-axe. He just tweeted that the “Kurds may be releasing some [ISIS prisoners] to get us involved.”
The hamster wheel in his head needs oiling.
Kurds may be releasing some [ISIS prisoners] – sounds legit. Others b4 Trump made similar claims – anyway to all those who think Kurds need a separate state in Syria – why?
Re:
Would you prefer a list or an essay? Better still – why don’t you do some homework?
Start with the end of WW1 and advance year by year re broken promises and perhaps read the link provided above.
Whatever trump is it seem likely that it will be trump and america 1 the rest of us 0???
ps
hebrin khalaf heard of her delmege?
…It further emphasized that the Kurdish-led administration “at no point” in the war had called for secession from the Syrian state – “on the contrary, it provided what was needed for the unity of Syria and its society.”
https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/10/article/faced-with-turkish-invasion-kurds-return-to-the-fold/
Turkey the US the UK and others fed IS with weapons and Turkey funded IS by buying stolen Syrian oil while it kept open its borders allowing tens of thousands of jihadists to descend upon Syria – as they pretended not to notice – while they (the west) nourished them with propaganda via the MSM. This western consortium didn’t care about the Syrian people and did whatever they could to destroy the Syrian state. (as they did in Libya) Later when it suited them (ie the west) they fought IS and armed certain Kurds. But that was really only after jihadists began terrorist attacks in western countries and after Russia destroyed the oil highway to Turkey and took the initiative away from the western backed rebels. France was a fully fledged member of the consortium but is only now imposing an arms embargo on Turkey cos its favoured contras – the Kurds are under attack along the border. There is nothing honourable about the western role in this conflict and civil war it is certainly isn’t. For all his faults at least Trump appears to see the madness and wants his country out of this mess (lets see how far they let him go). And the people that created it are the same people calling him a Russian dupe and they will get off scott free and will reimpose the madness first chance they get – as they always do. At some point in the future – with any luck – outsiders will leave and Syrians will get on with being Syrians in the multi cultural and multi ethnic country it is.
“For all his faults at least Trump appears to see the madness and wants his country out of this mess”
“At one point in the past few days he was tweeting about the “trillions of dollars” that America had wasted on “endless wars” in the region and vowing that the US would “back out” of Middle East conflicts. Yet here we are with a further 3,000 service personnel and a bunch of hardware heading for Saudi Arabia and the region – making a net 17,000 increase in troop numbers since May.”
The fact that Trump is a mad, bad and very dangerous sociopath can no longer be denied. Trump has proven himself – over and over again – to be a delusional megalomaniacal narcissist, an irrational committed xenophobic racist, a unconscionable pathological liar and an intolerable misogynist! What is worse, is that Australia’s illogical, supremely arrogant and totally irrational prime minister (FauxMo) has chosen to become a pathetic, salivating lapdog to the worst president in American history! Not only does this prove that Morrison has an alarming lack of good judgement, total lack of logic and discernment , it is also of great concern that the bible-thumping hypocrite, Morrison, does (in fact) share so many of the insane and terrifying traits as his hero, the internationally condemned Donald Trump!
When you have a good, long look at the three worst, most delusional, self-obsessed and inept ultra-conservative leaders in the OECD, ie Trump, Morrison and the crazy chaotic Boris Johnson, billions of people around the world have EVERY right to be alarmed and very worried for our future, the future of world peace, the future of our children and deeply concerned that the current emergency of climate change inaction will NEVER be addressed by the idiocy, corruption and self-serving megalomania of what has become known as The Three Stooges. Insane profit-obsessed neoliberal capitalism has been propped up by monsters who will lie, lie and lie, use fake news and slander to character-assassinate anyone who criticises, interrogates or condemns their callous inhumanity and ineptitude, lie down with dogs and stoop to incomprehensible acts of criminality to hang on to autocratic, fascist power with bloodstained fingers.
It is terrifying to realise that these aberrations are propped up by the most stupid, misinformed, Murdoch-manipulated fools who are AWARE of the dangerous fascism, total corruption and insanity of these sanctimonious, irrational psychopaths but, shockingly and shamefully, just DON’T CARE … WHY? Because Trump, Morrison and Johnson are pushing through elitist, neoliberal policies that their shallow, self-serving and dumbed-down sycophants believe (rightly or wrongly) will enrich and empower them. The sad fact is that the lack of planning, delusional self-interest and elitism of The Three Stooges will NEVER help anyone or anything outside their own insular world – the ONLY people to benefit from the mad, bad and dangerous mismanagement of our nations by these soulless miscreants are morally bankrupt corporate predators, callously inhumane billionaires and extreme-right-wing racists with a hate-filled agenda!
We are living in very dangerous times …..
Kaye … US troops (?) in Saudi Arabia can be seen as a psychological operation and probably not much more. They won’t be used against Iran. If you remember Kaye the US ran drone swarms against bases in Syria and they were destroyed in flight by the Russians. But the neither the US or its technology sold to Saudi Arabia could defend Saudi facilities against a bunch on ‘Houti’ drones. It guess that was pretty embarrassing for them. Sending troops is about all they can do. What would be more concerning is if the US pulled all of its military out of the region because that would signal a war with Iran is very close. Why … because Iran has shed loads of missiles it can rain down on every US military facility in the region and more. Nothing Trump has done in the ME compares with the regime change efforts of Obama in Syria and Libya – even his coup attempts in Turkey and Egypt were disasters.
“What would be more concerning is if the US pulled all of its military out of the region because that would signal a war with Iran is very close. ”
You mean like Trump did in Northern Syria, paving the way for the Turks to kill the Kurds?
How much have the Saudis invested in Trump’s companies?
TRUMP: Saudi Arabia – and I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.
Trump’s first state visit was to Saudi Arabia, organized by Jared Kushner, who has “formed a very strong bond with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman.”
Then there is Trump boasting about how much military hardware Saudi is buying from the U.S., holding up posters which had pictures of tanks and planes and ships on them like a kid at show and tell.
TRUMP: Six-hundred-and-forty-five million dollars, $6 billion – that’s for frigates. Eight-hundred-and-eighty-nine million, $63 million. And that’s for various artillery.
The man is NOT fit for office.
@ Kaye Lee October 14, 2019 at 6:39 pm
To quote a well worn Yorkshireman’s saying; to his wife:
“All the world’s queer save me and thee Missus and even thee’s a bit odd.”
DrakeN,
Father Wright, a priest and church historian, who was vice-rector at St Patrick’s whilst Tony was there, wrote a very interesting article about him.
“The study of theology did not capture Tony’s imagination. He did passably well; not as well as his academic background may have indicated. I do not recall that he ever talked about theology while at Manly. His concern was with churchmanship
Tony is inclined to score points, to skate over or hold back any reservations he might have about his case.
Once Tony had beaten the system and was no longer able to locate the ‘struggle’ as being between himself and authority, he had no-one much else blocking his path but himself.”
This effing thug, oaf, moron, halfwit, and what have you, caused the problem in the first place and now he’s doing his usual, trying to place the blame everywhere else but on himself –
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/14/trump-asks-turkey-for-ceasefire-in-syria-as-violence-spirals-out-of-control
“The statement confirmed that all 1,000 US troops in northeastern Syria are pulling out entirely, although they will “redeploy and remain in the region”.”
How can Trump pretend that this was anything BUT a green light granted at Turkey’s behest. Now he is scrambling because he screwed up big time.
Folks
May I Ihank you all for your contributions to this piece. The unanimity of your opinions about Trump’s mental illnesses is impressive. After reading your link to the comprehensive article in The Atlantic Graham, is any more evidence needed to establish Trump’s multiple mental illnesses? It is the most complete medical assessment of Trump I have read. It documents not only his narcissistic personality disorder, but also his psychopathology and his sociopathy. All the evidence is there, but his opponents suffer paralysis of action. How sad, how dangerous their inaction is for us all.
To the best of my knowledge there is only one world “leader” who agreed with Trump that he (Trump) had not given the GREEN LIGHT to Erdogan re bombing and slaughtering the Kurds in N.E. Syria.
And that, of course, would be Scummo.
Surprised? I don’t think so.
mark,
I get really tired of justifications of current actions by saying well look at what the other guy did. I am a firm believer in setting your own standards and being judged by your own actions rather than comparisons with other people.
Yes, lots of countries sell weapons to Saudi Arabia including us as they kill Yemeni civilians. Am I supposed to say that’s ok because we all do it?
The Donald is certifiable –
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/16/trump-letter-erdogan-turkey-invasion
I Need I say anymore?
Apologists for the Democrats will hate this but there you go.
More sense from this man in 10 minutes than decades of Democrat presidents. Not that I agree with everything but well worth a listen.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/10/16/trump_im_embarrassed_to_say_how_many_countries_the_us_military_is_in_it_is_so_foolish.html
mark,
I read as much as I could bare of that. It was the ramblings of a person who knows NOTHING about foreign affairs, NOTHING about history, NOTHING about diplomacy. NOTHING about the motivation of the protagonists in the Middle East….
I am sorry but defending Trump is akin to climate change denialism. The evidence is overwhelming. The man is barking mad.. it’s past time to give up.
Your preoccupation with previous regimes cannot obscure the chaos of Donald Trump.
sorry Kaye bad link – it was the video I wanted to highlight
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/10/16/trump_the_kurds_are_no_angels_but_they_know_how_to_fight.html
mark, your dislike of Obama is legendary. Might I recommend you find an anti-Obama blog somewhere to vent your dislike.
This post is about Trump.
Na Roswell I ‘hate’m all’ I just find it surprising when a President calls out the military industrial complex and wants to withdraw his forces from the ME. I find that refreshing. So you didn’t watch the video? Pity it was Trump and as this post is about the sanity of Trump I think it perfect.
Well in that case, Mark, I’ll be sure to watch it. 👍
Trump LOVES the military industrial complex.
From 2017-2018 US military expenditure rose from $606bn to $649bn – or 4.6% in real terms ($633bn) – representing the first increase since 2010 and that excludes expenditures such as current spending on previous military activities, civil defense, veterans benefits, demobilization, weapon destruction and military involvement in non-military activities, such as policing.
“The increase in US spending was driven by the implementation from 2017 of new arms procurement programmes under the Trump administration.”
Trump’s defense spending request to Congress this year is the largest ever in dollar terms before adjustment for inflation.
Instead of focusing on anti-terrorism, U.S. military strategy and investments are now centered on “great power competition” aka dick-swinging.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us-military-spending-up-as-global-outlay-hits-31-year-high-1.578903
Trump is just a symptom of the way politics has corrupted the ordinary american voter, a sort of dumbing down, swayed by hoopla, celebrity razzmatazz, with no awareness of what the world needs from America, leadership, wisdom, restraint. Instead all those people who voted for Trump in 2016, just double down and seem determined to repeat their stupid mistake. Trump is an immoral, crooked, crude bully who relies on the stupidity and inability of some people to see beyond their own backyards .
And then along comes Boris the clown and Scummo, the creep from the shire, and all seems unwell with the world.
Because in the midst of all this is Murdoch and his minions.
I tend to keep my team rivalry to sport. My team might be crap but its my team and maybe next year. Its an understandable Sisyphean arrangement. Politics these days is different. The form may vary but the content is pretty much the same. The fans want to differentiate where differentiation doesn’t exist and yet they think it matters. I’d argue supporting one presumptive side of the ruling class against the other is kinda pointless. Both sides will screw us.
for example …Obama, notwithstanding his own (stated) opposition to nuclear weapons, has committed to modernizing the U.S. arsenal. He supports the Air Force’s new bomber, a new ballistic missile submarine for the Navy, revitalizing a fleet of nuclear bombs, a potential new nuclear cruise missile and other commitments. Some estimates put the cost for the program Obama supports at around $1 trillion over the next 30 years.
Easier to be an equal opportunities critic though understanding a little nuance here and there is useful.
Criticising Obama doesn’t make me a Trump supporter and nor does recognising a welcome move by Trump. Cos you must know they are still running coup attempts elsewhere and in general doing a shit load of bad things – just like the last guy. If it annoys you that I haven’t joined your conga line that’s your problem not mine.
mark,
You keep harking back to Obama whilst ignoring what is going on now.
Consistent with the recommendations of the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget request would continue plans to expand U.S. nuclear weapon capabilities….the United States will spend $494 billion on nuclear weapons from fiscal years 2019 through 2028. That is an increase of $94 billion, or 23 percent, from the CBO’s previous 10-year estimate of $400 billion, which was published in January 2017.
The request includes funds for the continued development of two missile systems with ranges prohibited by the INF Treaty,
The budget request would keep on schedule the Defense Department’s programs to sustain and rebuild the U.S. triad of nuclear-armed missiles, submarines, and bombers and their associated warheads and supporting infrastructure.
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2019-04/news/trump-budget-boosts-nuclear-efforts
My problem is that you seem to think Trump is de-escalating armaments build-ups and NOTHING could be further from the truth.
Kaye pot kettle black. Trumps mob is funding the rabble in Hong Kong just as Obama funded the rabble in Libya Ukraine and Syria. Its what they do. On one level it doesn’t matter how much they seek to buy votes and favours in their own countries with bloated wasteful military expenditures. What really matters is what the do. You can destroy a country with a few billion dollars (or even a fraction of that) and they do and they have – both sides. It’s arrogant racist and illegal under any civilised norms and definitely counter to a rules based international order.
“Trumps mob is funding the rabble in Hong Kong”\
I find that very hard to believe. Perhaps you have some proof for that statement?
US officials have been banned from supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, after Donald Trump reportedly promised the US would stay quiet during trade negotiations.
Asked about the Hong Kong protests in August, Trump told reporters: “Somebody said that at some point they’re going to want to stop that. But that’s between Hong Kong and that’s between China, because Hong Kong is a part of China. They’ll have to deal with that themselves. They don’t need advice.”
NED amongst others
Re:
So this time around, George Soros gets a rest? Or did he just pay for the umbrellas?
We know he paid for those caravans approaching the US border.
And now for the evidence?
Mark,
A 42-page report released recently by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs singled out the National Endowment for Democracy, the congressionally funded organization founded in 1983 to support the spread of democracy and human rights around the world, accusing it of underwriting a similar revolution [to the color revolutions that swept Georgia, Ukraine and the Arab world] in Hong Kong.
“The U.S. is not satisfied in overt oral support for Hong Kong but resorts to financial backing,” the state English-language television network, CGTN, wrote with inexact grammar in an article posted on its website and included in the ministry’s report. The article went on to argue that the endowment acted in concert with the Central Intelligence Agency “in covert actions against governments.”
Gee well yes….I am sure China is giving an unbiased evidence based report.
‘mark, you mention the transgressions of Obama. At least he knew what he was doing’ do you really think so? Or were you just taken in by a smooth operator who could smile look cool and enlightened while he destroyed Libya and Syria and created all those refugees and yeah armed IS and all the other crazies who now act as cut throats for Turkey. I could add a few more if you like? And if you really think he knew what he was doing then thats all quite acceptable to you Roswell. I’m happy to criticise both I think any sane person who follows events would probably agree with me – unless of course they were stuck in a mindless binary and blinded by team loyalties.
We all make the mistake of thinking that the Democrats are the US version of the British Labour Party. It is not. There is no left-leaning US party.
Obama gets kudos because he was eloquent (George Galloway called him ‘the crooner’) but he was just the acceptable face of US imperialism.
Russia is still a bogeyman to the US, who conveniently overlook the fact that Putin’s Russia is not communist any more. I have always said that the fact that Americans speak a form of English, lulls us into overlooking what kind of people they really are. They interfere in every other country’s affairs and shit themselves when it is done to them. 9/11, heinous as it was, stunned the world, which ignores the many thousands of 9/11s the US and it’s vassals have visited on dozens of countries world-wide, and continue to do so.
Trump is an offensive, valueless bullying infantile man, but he is head of a bullying infantile State. He is really no worse than Dumbya.
The only US president that has been a genuinely ‘good and decent man’ was Jimmy Carter, and they soon pushed him out.
Americans don’t do ‘good and decent’.
The ‘sainted’ Obama destroyed Libya. Great job done there, eh?
Throwing Trump out of office – which could and should be what happens – would only slot Pence into the position. Then, if everything goes as expected, we will be watching a Pence v Biden campaign. Neither man is particularly attractive as occupier of the position. Trump is an absurdity, an appalling human, but he represents the views and aspirations of a sizeable chunk of Americans. From a world safety perspective, Trump’s fall would make not one iota of difference. Neither of his likely successors will change US foreign policy, which has destroyed the Middle East and resulted in more wars and killings than ever. Dictators are only repellent to the US if they are Nationalists and not accepting of US ambitions.
It is significant that Trump slipped in the comment that they left some US personnel in Syria ‘to secure the oil.’
What has happened to Venezuela, btw?