[AMV] Amerikaanse politiek #387 Deal or no deal?

quote:

Op zaterdag 16 september 2017 18:02 schreef grrrrg het volgende:

[..]

Oom Donald is ook een kleuter, dus ik denk dat dit wel het juiste forum is.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zondag 17-09-2017 om 14:28:08 My great honor! https://t.co/x25T9tQAnI reageer retweet

quote:

The lead-up to Donald Trump’s inauguration was a nice teaser for his presidency, especially in the sense that it seemed like it took forever, nobody reputable wanted to be involved, and it ended up being a total shitshow. We’ve had an inkling of that last part for a while now thanks to the photos of his pitiful crowd size, but now an Associated Press report suggests that things were even worse behind the scenes. For starters, Trump’s team repeatedly claimed that the inaugural concert and balls would be relatively low-key and “workmanlike,” but the concert in particular ended up costing a staggering $25 million—compared to the $5 million it cost President Obama’s team to put on a similar show in 2009.

That’s pretty ridiculous on its own, but it becomes a little confusing when you compare the lineup of Obama’s concert to Trump’s. Obama had (among many others) Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, U2, Beyoncé, and a bunch of famous people, while Trump had Toby Keith, Three Doors Down, and—as noted by The New Yorker—a group called the Piano Guys that involves some YouTubers who all play a single piano at the same time. Granted, Obama is a likable guy with a lot of famous friends who would happily perform for him for free, while Trump is a heartless goon whose best friend is a fake spokesperson, so it makes sense that it would be a little pricey to get stars like Three Doors Down and the Piano Guys. That being said, $20 million is a whole lot of money to blow just because you’re jealous of your predecessor.

Thankfully, that money came from Trump’s gullible fans and his fellow rich assholes, with the AP story pointing out that the inaugural committee raised $107 million for the whole ceremony—nearly double what Obama raised for 2009. Presumably recognizing that they had too much cash to pay for a weird concert and a ripoff cake, Trump’s team said that any leftover money would be donated to charity. It’s now September, and though this may come as an absolute shock, it looks like none of the money has gone to any charities yet. The inaugural committee has “helped pay for redecorating at the White House and the vice president’s residence in Washington,” though, so at least it’s going to a worthy cause.

As for where the rest of the money has gone, nobody seems to know—which is always a good sign when dealing with a famously trustworthy businessman like Donald Trump. The chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee, whose last name happens to be Barrack, says that a third party had completed a “full and clean” audit of the committees finances, but two Trump associates said that they were “unaware” of any such audit. Other sources suggest that all of the money is gone, and that’s why none of it has been donated yet, but that’s not exactly a better excuse.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

quote:

Every year, the president heads to New York to welcome world leaders to the United Nations General Assembly. He gives a speech and meets with an endless string of foreign potentates to discuss a dizzying array of complicated, often intractable issues.

The days are “kind of like speed dating from hell,” as one analyst put it, and the evenings are “the world’s most tedious cocktail party.” In other words, not exactly President Trump’s favored format.

But when Mr. Trump attends the first United Nations session of his presidency this coming week, all eyes will be on him as counterparts from around the globe crane their necks and slide through the crowd to snatch a handshake — and, in the process, try to figure out this most unusual of American leaders.

“The world is still trying to take the measure of this president,” said Jon B. Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and author of the speed-dating analogy. “For a number of leaders, this is going to be their first chance to see him, to judge him, to try to get on his good side.”

In some places, there has been an instinct to dismiss Mr. Trump as a bombastic, Twitter-obsessed political and diplomatic neophyte. “But the fact is you can’t write off the American president,” Mr. Alterman said.

One of Mr. Trump’s primary tasks will be to define how his America First approach — which has led him to pull out of international agreements on free trade and climate change — fits into the world-first mission of the United Nations.

His challenge is “to describe the Trump Doctrine on U.S. global leadership and engagement,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. “The perception in many parts of the world, including the U.N., is that President Trump is unilateralist and isolationist. Trump has the opportunity to present and describe his vision and strategy. The world will be all ears.”

Mr. Trump arrives in New York at a time of crackling tension over North Korea’s provocative actions and deep uncertainty about what he will do with President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. While foreign leaders once feared that an erratic American presidency was taking shape, they have been reassured, to some extent, that Mr. Trump is settling into a somewhat more conventional foreign policy than many had anticipated, analysts said.

The president has not launched an all-out trade war with China, ripped up the Iran deal or the North American Free Trade Agreement, or moved the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, at least not yet. He has belatedly reaffirmed support for NATO and agreed to send more troops to Afghanistan.

“But America’s friends still see dysfunctionality at the heart of the Trump administration, as key advisers come and go through the revolving door,” said Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to Washington. “They remain disheartened by Trump’s announcements on climate change and trade policy.” And “they fear that the fighting talk of this impulsive president could make things worse rather than better on the Korean Peninsula.”

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

quote:

Trump thanked Haley for the introduction and paused for a brief applause. “I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you,” the president said, referring to Trump World Tower. “And it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project.”