World Reacts to Trump's "****hole Countries" Remark

[DirectorDave]

So after a week of politicised funerals (I think John McCain's is still going on) what is our favourite racist, sexist, homophobic, thin-skinned Tangerine Trump done now?

He has cut 300m in military aid to Pakistan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45386278

Not before time, the Pakistanis have been at it for years.

The Donald is playing 4D Chess while other leaders are playing snakes and ladders.

[Limehouse]

So after a week of politicised funerals (I think John McCain's is still going on) what is our favourite racist, sexist, homophobic, thin-skinned Tangerine Trump done now?

He has cut 300m in military aid to Pakistan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45386278

Not before time, the Pakistanis have been at it for years.

The Donald is playing 4D Chess while other leaders are playing snakes and ladders.

Hmm - but still supporting the Saudis in their repeated attacks on Yemen. Hundreds of children have died in air attacks and many more in the resulting famine caused by blockades on food and medicine.

[Karl]

Hmm - but still supporting the Saudis in their repeated attacks on Yemen. Hundreds of children have died in air attacks and many more in the resulting famine caused by blockades on food and medicine.

If you're waiting for the US to stop supporting Saudi Arabia, you'll have to wait until the world's oil reserves are depleted.

As for Pakistan, I'm a bit puzzled. The rather fresh BBC article says that the US will cancel $300 million in military aid to Pakistan, but I seem to recall that the US has already, back in January, suspended $1,1 billion in military aid to Pakistan, until Islamabad dealt with certain militant groups. So what's the deal with the cut of this paltry amount now? What this tells me is that $800 million in military support to Pakistan has been unfrozen, and only $300 million are going to be withheld.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/20-increase-in-pakistan-defence-budget-signals-neighbours-intent/articleshow/63966279.cms

So this is typical politician's double talk for you. If a politician wishes to cut funding of a certain project from, say, 500 million to 300 million, he can make himself out to be the good guy by proclaiming: "We are going to support this project with 300 million dollars." And the average voter will be none the wiser. This isn't just Trump doing this, politicians of all political colours have been doing this forever.

[Svensson]

and given that Pompeo is about to meet the new Pakistani PM, I see nothing in Trump's decision as "4D Chess" rather than showing his hand before he needs to. If he cancels all military aid, then this is a Trump-card (literally) that has been played and he can not play again. How about:

a) Having Pompeo meet with Khan and report back before doing anything? What is he like, what does he want, what can he deliver, do we believe him on what he claims he can deliver and THEN make a decision? Given his background as an international Cricket Superstar, he is likely to be a very different kind of leader than what Pakistan had in recent times.

b) if he really does have to look tough on front of his base (and we know that this is more important to him than anything else), cancel HALF of it but still have Pompeo travel to Islamabad with a message that the US means business but there is still a lot there to be used and worked with.

"4D Chess"? More like toy-soldiers in a sandpit. Or just "ladders" (as opposed to "snakes and ladders" )

[Karl]

"4D Chess"? More like toy-soldiers in a sandpit. Or just "ladders" (as opposed to "snakes and ladders" )

"4D chess", indeed. I had a good chuckle.

[Svensson]

First Manafort and Cohen convicted, then multiple criminal investigations into his own Business and faux charity foundation and now the Woodward book and the NYT op-ed. This has a distinct feeling of dominoes falling now. I think this is the beginning of the end ( you read it here first ) but I do feel that an orange jumpsuit would go very well with the hair.

[Sam Flynn]

I do feel that an orange jumpsuit would go very well with the hair.

His perma-tan might cause some problems in that scenario - he'll vanish like the Cheshire Cat, apart from his eyes and teeth.

[Ginger]

Hmm - but still supporting the Saudis in their repeated attacks on Yemen. Hundreds of children have died in air attacks and many more in the resulting famine caused by blockades on food and medicine.

Does anybody care in the least what happens to people in Yemen, aside from being able to use their deaths to score political points?

[Karl]

Does anybody care in the least what happens to people in Yemen, aside from being able to use their deaths to score political points?

That's a good point, but surely that goes both ways? Does anybody care in the least what happens to American military aid to Pakistan, aside from being able to use those dollars to score political points?

[Wickerman]

So now Comrade Trump is calling Woodwards book all fiction, while behind the scenes he conducts his own Witch Hunt to find out who is betraying him.
And to think people actually voted for this Fool on the Hill.

[Sam Flynn]

And to think people actually voted for this Fool on the Hill.

What's perhaps more baffling is how such a man got into a position to run for office in the first place.

[Limehouse]

Does anybody care in the least what happens to people in Yemen, aside from being able to use their deaths to score political points?

What an extraordinary question!

Of course I care! I care with a passion and sorrow you could not possibly understand.

I am utterly ashamed to belong to a nationality that stands by and does nothing for fear of offending a nation that has one of the very worst human rights records.

I am not interested in scoring political points.

[barnflatwyngarde]

Folks, the book to read in regard to the Bruised Orange (with apologies to John Prine) is "House of Trump House of Putin" by Craig Unger.

It's a truly jaw dropping exposé of Trump's extensive links to Russian Mafia figures, money launderers, gangsters etc, etc

[Svensson]

Sadly, I don't know any different. There are very few examples in history where one nation came to the rescue for humanitarian reasons and I can not think of even one right now. We only really get involved if it affects us directly (or try to get involved rather unsuccessfully like Syria shows) and Yemen simply does not. That is unfortunately a cold fact.

[Sam Flynn]

Folks, the book to read in regard to the Bruised Orange (with apologies to John Prine)

I don't know about the Bruised Orange, but here's the Curious Orange from the late 1990s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SUvtQ_V-c&feature=youtu.be&t=68