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The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Orchestrated grovel': critics react to Europe's attempts to tame Donald Trump
History may record this week as the one in which Donald Trump came to Europe to discuss defence spending. Diplomats may remember it as the week in which the art of obsequiousness reached new highs and the sycophants plunged new lows. All in the name of taming the president. It seems to have worked. After Trump landed to Washington from this week's Nato summit in The Hague, the White House posted a video that made clear how his team felt the trip had gone. The summit had concluded on Wednesday with a joint press conference in which Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, after showering the US president with compliments over his actions on Iran, bizarrely referred to him as 'daddy'. Rutte was now being widely derided for the summit's 'orchestrated grovel' and attempting to row back on his choice of language. In Washington, however, Team Trump were enjoying themselves. 'Daddy's home!' trilled the video, which mixed clips of Trump's handshakes with world leaders with footage of crowds awaiting his motorcade, soundtracked by a 2010 song by Usher: 'And I know you've been waiting for this loving all day …' The tone of Rutte's public bootlicking had been muted compared with the text messages he had sent to 'dear Donald' before the summit – 'Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, it was truly extraordinary … you will achieve something NO president in decades could get done' – and which the president had immediately leaked. 'I think he likes me,' smirked Trump later, while his cabinet giggled behind him. Ass-kissing, arse-licking, brown-nosing, sucking up – there is a reason metaphors for obsequiousness so often involve body fluids and the backside, because the act of sycophancy demeans both the arselicker and the arselickee. What is more cringeworthy, after all – the clips of Trump's cabinet members taking turns to parrot praise of his leadership and vision, or the fact that his fragile ego demands lavish compliments before he can get down to work? No doubt all the president's yes-men believe that lavishing him with praise can lead to lavish rewards. Take the former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who in 2020 presented him with a 'bookshelf-sized' bronze model of Mount Rushmore, portraying Trump's face next to those of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Noem is now the secretary of homeland security. Stephen Miller, who called Trump 'the most stylish president in our lifetime', is the White House deputy chief of staff for policy. To some observers, this is just how Trump works, at home and abroad, and world leaders like Rutte who engage in flattery and 'strategic self-emasculation' are just being smart. 'A useful way to think about President Trump and his team is not in terms of a conventional American administration, but rather as a court,' says Sam Edwards, a reader in modern political history at Loughborough University. Understood in those terms, he argues, performative upsucking is all. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion He points to Keir Starmer's first visit to Trump's Oval Office, when the UK prime minister theatrically brandished a letter from King Charles inviting Trump to a second state visit, saying, 'This is really special, this is unprecedented.' In this sense, Edwards argues, Rutte's conduct 'looks like debasement, like he's conducted himself with weakness,' says Edwards. 'But in the longer term, he gets the Nato partners to sign up to 5% expenditure on defence, which is something he wants as much as Trump wants. I guess that's the strategic calculation that Rutte has made. I might come in for criticism, but further down the line, do I get what I want? Yes.' That view is not universal, however. 'Mr Rutte, he's trying to embarrass you, sir,' Trump's former director of communications Anthony Scaramucci said earlier this week. 'He's literally sitting on Air Force One laughing at you.' David H Dunn, a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, agrees that licking Trump's boots doesn't earn his favour but his disdain. His flattering cabinet were selected not because the president admires them, says Dunn, but because their obsequiousness shows their weakness. He thinks Rutte, too, has miscalculated. 'There is a lot of evidence from the first term that Trump doesn't necessarily respond to flattery,' Dunn says. 'It sends a signal that this is not an alliance of equals. This is not the America of old, whereby there was a coming together of countries of shared values and shared interests. What it looks like is fealty to the king.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Orchestrated grovel': critics react to Europe's attempts to tame Donald Trump
History may record this week as the one in which Donald Trump came to Europe to discuss defence spending. Diplomats may remember it as the week in which the art of obsequiousness reached new highs and the sycophants plunged new lows. All in the name of taming the president. It seems to have worked. After Trump landed to Washington from this week's Nato summit in The Hague, the White House posted a video that made clear how his team felt the trip had gone. The summit had concluded on Wednesday with a joint press conference in which Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, after showering the US president with compliments over Iran, bizarrely referred to him as 'daddy'. Rutte was now being widely derided for the summit's 'orchestrated grovel' and attempting to row back on his choice of language. In Washington, however, Team Trump were enjoying themselves. 'Daddy's home!' trilled the video, which mixed clips of Trump's handshakes with world leaders with footage of crowds awaiting his motorcade, soundtracked by a 2010 song by Usher: 'And I know you've been waiting for this loving all day …' The tone of Rutte's public bootlicking had been muted compared with the text messages he had sent to 'dear Donald' ahead of the summit – 'Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, it was truly extraordinary … you will achieve something NO president in decades could get done' – and which the president had immediately leaked. 'I think he likes me,' smirked Trump later, while his cabinet giggled behind him. Ass-kissing, arse-licking, brown-nosing, sucking up – there is a reason metaphors for obsequiousness so often involve bodily fluids and the backside, because the act of sycophancy demeans both the arselicker and the arselickee. What is more cringeworthy, after all – the clips of Trump's cabinet members taking turns to parrot praise of his leadership and vision, or the fact that his fragile ego demands lavish compliments before he can get down to work? No doubt all the president's yes-men believe that lavishing him with praise can lead to lavish rewards. Take former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who in 2020 presented him with a 'bookshelf-sized' bronze model of Mount Rushmore, portraying Trump's face next to those of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Noem is now the secretary of homeland security. Stephen Miller, who called Trump 'the most stylish president in our lifetime', is the White House deputy chief of staff for policy. To some observers, this is just how Trump works, at home and abroad, and world leaders like Rutte who engage in flattery and 'strategic self-emasculation' are just being smart. 'A useful way to think about President Trump and his team is not in terms of a conventional American administration, but rather as a court,' says Sam Edwards, reader in modern political history at Loughborough University. Understood in those terms, he argues, performative upsucking is all. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion He points to Keir Starmer's first visit to Trump's Oval Office, when the UK prime minister theatrically brandished a letter from King Charles inviting Trump to a second state visit, saying, 'This is really special, this is unprecedented.' In this sense, Edwards argues, Rutte's conduct 'looks like debasement, like he's conducted himself with weakness,' says Edwards. 'But in the longer term, he gets the Nato partners to sign up to 5% expenditure on defence, which is something he wants as much as Trump wants. I guess that's the strategic calculation that Rutte has made. I might come in for criticism, but further down the line, do I get what I want? Yes.' That view is not universal, however. 'Mr Rutte, he's trying to embarrass you, sir,' Trump's former director of communications Anthony Scaramucci said earlier this week. 'He's literally sitting on Air Force One laughing at you.' David H Dunn, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, agrees that licking Trump's boots doesn't earn his favour but his disdain. His flattering cabinet were selected not because the president admires them, says Dunn, but because their obsequiousness shows their weakness. He thinks Rutte, too, has miscalculated. 'There is a lot of evidence from the first term that Trump doesn't necessarily respond to flattery,' Dunn says. 'It sends a signal that this is not an alliance of equals. This is not the America of old, whereby there was a coming together of countries of shared values and shared interests. What it looks like is fealty to the king.'
The Hill
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump weighs US role amid Israel-Iran conflict
It's Tuesday. The next two weeks will be *extremely* humid for most of the U.S. Brace yourselves — and your hair. 🥵 Check out this humidity map In today's issue: Trump touts 'control of the skies' over Iran Situation Room team assembled Vance shares Team Trump's thinking Wading through 'big, beautiful' text Mike Lee confronted by Senate colleague All eyes on the Situation Room: President Trump has assembled his national security team in the Situation Room today to weigh the U.S.'s options as Israel and Iran's brewing conflict unfolds. 🚨 He just posted an update on the situation in the Middle East: 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn't compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff.' Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA,' Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump also sent a warning to the 'so-called 'Supreme Leader,'' arguing he's an 'easy target' — and called for 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.' ^ He also rejected his own director of national intelligence's assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities earlier this year, telling reporters this morning he 'doesn't care' what Tulsi Gabbard said and insisting Iran was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Vice President Vance also publicly weighed in, giving what may be the clearest signal that Trump is weighing whether to get involved. 'He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,' Vance said of Trump. 'That decision ultimately belongs to the president.' Read Vance's full post The big question — will the U.S. get involved?: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. will send deployments to the Middle East, stressing they are to be 'defensive.' White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer was then quick to shut down any suggestion that the U.S. would get involved, aside from '[defending] American interests.' Trump has urged a diplomatic solution. The Trump administration told Middle Eastern allies over the weekend that the U.S. will *not* get actively involved in the conflict unless Iran targets Americans, per Axios. He clearly wants a deal to be made with Iran, but Israel's preemptive strikes have made that much more difficult. Who has Trump's ear?: Trump was set to meet Tuesday morning with his one-stop-shop for foreign policy advice, Secretary of State/national security adviser Marco Rubio, Vice President Vance and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine, per Politico. 💡 Some context to Trump's team: Rubio has been fairly hawkish on foreign involvement in his career, while Vance has a more isolationist worldview. Both have closely followed Trump's 'America First' approach. Caine was not well known before his nomination — and was viewed at the time as being an unconventional pick. Plus, remember when Trump gutted his National Security Council in May, dismissing dozens of foreign policy experts? This is one of the most perilous moments for Trump's national security team since retaking office. I wonder how these shifting dynamics will affect moments like this. Coming up later: In The Hill's Evening Report, Jonathan Easley will bring you the latest on Trump's huddle with his national security team as the day unfolds. Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox. What are the U.S.'s options?: The New York Times's David E. Sanger and Jonathan Swan argues Trump has two choices: ' Last-Chance Diplomacy or a Bunker-Busting Bomb.' 🗨️ Follow today's live blog 🍁 Isn't Trump supposed to be in Canada?: Trump cut his Group of Seven (G7) Summit trip short, abruptly flying back to Washington, D.C., late on Monday, after sending an ominous Truth Social warning to Iranians. 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Trump posted. Trump's reason for leaving Canada: Trump says it's easier to stay on top of the developments in the Middle East in person than by phone. 'Just to be a little bit, I think, more well versed, not having to use telephones so much,' Trump told reporters. 'Being on the scene is much better.' ➤ MEANWHILE — THE G7 IS STILL HAPPENING: The remaining six world leaders at the G7 in Alberta, Canada, are carrying on with their last day of the summit, sans Trump. This was a loss for Ukraine: Trump had been expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit. His sudden departure means Zelensky lost his critical face time with the U.S. president. Lighter tidbit: Trump dropped some trade documents while standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 📹 Watch The big, beautiful bill (Senate's version): The Senate Finance Committee has unveiled its highly anticipated text of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' That means the full Senate bill text is public — and now the monumental task of getting nearly all Senate Republicans on board begins. Here's what's in it: 🔷 Medicaid: Like the House's bill, the Senate's bill would impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries. 🔷 Trump's 2017 tax cuts: The Senate's bill extends the core elements of Trump's tax cuts but has a lower increase for the child tax credit (Senate: $2,200 per child, House: $2,500). 🔷 Taxes on tips: It creates a new deduction for taxes on tips, overtime pay and car loan interest but doesn't make them fully deductible. 🔷 Green energy tax credits: The Senate's bill will significantly roll back green energy tax credits but is more flexible than what the House passed. 🔷 SALT: The Senate's version nixes the deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) negotiated. State and local tax (SALT) deductions would be rolled back to $10,000 a year, instead of the new $40,000 limit. 🔷 Debt limit: The Senate's bill would raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, $1 trillion more than the House's bill. Sen. Smith confronted Sen. Lee over his social media posts: Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) confronted Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Monday over his comments about the fatal shooting of a prominent Minnesota state lawmaker. 📸 The confrontation 📹 Lee wouldn't answer questions about his posts or the confrontation What were Lee's comments?: He blamed Democrats for the fatal shooting. 'This is what happens When Marxists don't get their way,' Lee wrote Sunday on his personal account on the social platform X. He then wrote, 'Nightmare on Waltz Street,' referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), alongside a photo of the suspected shooter. Democrats have fiercely condemned Lee's comments. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told MSNBC that she also plans to talk to Lee. 'What I'm going to tell him is: This isn't funny,' she said. COMING UP The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is back in Washington. (All times EST) 2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes, one confirmation and a vote to end debate on another nominee. 📆 Today's agenda 2:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference. 💻 Livestream 4:30 p.m.: Two more Senate votes. 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍺 Celebrate: Today is National Root Beer Day. 🍭 Jell-O may not be quite as electric blue anymore: Kraft Heinz says it will remove all artificial dyes from its U.S. products by the end of 2027.
Mint
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Amid Iran-Israel tension, Donald Trump gets jersey signed by Cristiano Ronaldo: US President likes the message CR7 sent
Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, gifted US President Donald Trump a signed Cristiano Ronaldo jersey. The jersey had a special message from the football star: 'To President Donald J. Trump—Playing for Peace.' Team Trump shared a video on Instagram, writing, 'President Donald Trump receives a jersey signed by Cristiano.' The video showed Trump receiving the gift and responding, 'Oh, I like that. Playing for peace,' as he held up the jersey. Trump had arrived in Calgary on June 15 for the During the G7 Summit in Kananaskis. Instagram users dribbled with words as they reacted to the incident. 'Ronaldo ending world war 3 to make sure we'll be still alive for GTA 6,' quipped one user. 'My GOAT representing the world,' wrote another. One fan called CR7 an 'influencer on and off the pitch'. One Trump admirer commented, 'Only Donald Trump would listen and build relationships with other world leaders!' Trump left the G7 summit a day early due to the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, according to the Associated Press. The two countries are hurling missiles against each other as the rest of the world asks for peace in the Middle East. Israel bombed the Tehran office of Iran's state broadcaster, claiming it was being used by the Iranian army. Iran called the attack a 'war crime' and hit back with missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv and Haifa. According to Iran, 45 women and children were killed in Israeli strikes, and three Red Crescent workers died during rescue work. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian urged the country to stay united as attacks caused damage even in cities like Kermanshah, where a hospital was allegedly hit. Israel's army said it had destroyed one-third of Iran's missile launchers. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he could even target Iran's Supreme Leader to 'end the conflict'. President Trump, speaking at the G7 summit, asked Iran to talk with Israel 'before it's too late'. 'We, as Iranian people, do not want to see any deal between Israel and the dictator regime of Iran! We want regime change! Mr. @realDonaldTrump, if you cannot help us, stay away and let Israel do its job, and we will finish the rest of that on the street. Best regards,' came from one user who reacted to Ronaldo's message of peace to Trump.
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Time for Trump to step up and end the Iranian threat, once and for all
President Donald Trump vowed Iran won't get nukes. Now that Israel has started making that a reality, Trump must see it through — and rid the world of the Iranian threat, once and for all. If Iran won't give up its nuke program — completely, quickly and verifiably — Trump shouldn't hesitate to use America's big, beautiful bunker-buster bombs to finish the job. Israel has already made progress in de-nuking Iran, hitting its largest uranium-enrichment site, Natanz, and its Isfahan facility, and wiping out many of the regime's top nuclear scientists and military leaders. Yet at least one key site, the Fordow facility deep beneath a mountain, remains intact: The Israeli Air Force lacks the heavy bunker-buster bombs that readily take it out. Maybe weeks of smaller bombs can do the job, but that means prolonged hostilities, causing much needless damage to both countries, to achieve what Trump says is a must. And, yes, Tehran is reportedly signaling it'll resume nuclear talks if the United States stays out of the fighting. Fine: Except Iran treated Trump's 60-day deadline for those talks as a joke; now its opening offer should include handing over all its enriched uranium, with every last nuclear site and research facility demolished. Also, inspectors must have free rein to verify that Iran can never again resume its nuclear-weapons agenda. Absent those concessions, any talks would be just another effort to buy time and/or somehow sell Team Trump the Brooklyn Bridge. Bring on the bunker busters: Yes, it entails some risks — though the Israelis have already pretty well defanged Tehran and its chief proxies. As for the characters who think they define MAGA and 'America First': The prez has already shown he's not buying it. Saturday, he stressed that he's the one to decide what's in America's best interests, and 'you can't have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon.' Hear, hear. Besides, that crowd's fearful warnings — that 'thousands of Americans would die' if Israel moved against Iran — have already proved false. Eliminating Iran's nuclear threat will send the perfect message to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping: Take Trump's words seriously; don't bet on the 'TACO' twerps.
