October 7, 2022
THE TRUMP BRAND:
Trump has one eye at elections overseas even as the midterms approach (MERIDITH MCGRAW, 10/07/2022, Politico)
Trump's warned about world war stemming from U.S. policy towards Taiwan, he's entertained Hungary's Viktor Orban at his club in New Jersey, and talked longingly about his relationship with Kim Jong-Un as the North Korean leader fired ballistic missiles over Japan.His allies say it's part of building his own political brand. [...]He faced early criticism for his reluctance to rebuke Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. And he has been eager to host events at his club that are sponsored by the Saudi-backed LIV tour golf tournament, despite widespread condemnation that it is the regime's effect to obscure its terrible humanitarian record. [...]"Trump is a budding authoritarian and he feels a natural affinity with other actual or aspiring authoritarians abroad. Some call it the Illiberal International," said Max Boot, a foreign policy expert who advised Republican presidential campaigns. "They are united by their embrace of nationalism and xenophobia and rejection of liberal democracy, science, and even reason.
Xi, Kim, Putin, the Wahhabists...dude knows what MAGA stands for.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 7, 2022 8:43 AM