Sharing the NATO Arrangement

American Thinker.com ^ | May 28, 2017 | Michael Curtis

[Kaslin]

No one is ever likely to mistake Donald J. Trump for a lyric soprano at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Yet Trump, the political performer, resembles a musical performer in his capacity to express himself, colla voce, freely taking the lead and having others follow his tempo and rhythm. In conciliatory style, President Donald Trump showed this as a rock star in his command of the stage in Saudi Arabia and at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. He was equally central in his more confrontational behavior at the NATO summit in Brussels in May 2017, which was not greeted with applause, and at the G-7 summit at Taormina, Sicily on May 26-27, 2017.

Irrespective of any of his controversial utterances, Trump displayed his presence physically, in an assertive manner, if not in assault tactics, as well as in his remarks. While touring the new lavish glass NATO headquarters in Brussels, he shoved aside a fellow member, Dusko Martovic, prime minister of the tiny state of Montenegro, about to become the 29th member of NATO, in order to claim the spotlight according to the prearranged family photo with assigned positions of the leaders. Photos also show Trump engaged in what is possibly history's most intense, prolonged handshake with Emmanuel Macron, new president of France, with its formidable display of white knuckles and clenched jaws.

In Saudi Arabia, Trump was feted like royalty. Indeed, he was met at Riyadh Airport by King Salman. His trip was not only successful economically, in the $110-billion deal in U.S. arms sales and new investment likely to result in thousands of jobs, but also in political accord.

[RummyChick]

Anyone know if that handshake was before or after Macron dissed him on the carpet?

I suspect after.

[RummyChick]

Mr Macron told French media he had wanted to “show he would not make small concessions, not even symbolic ones, but also not overdo things”.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40077241

[RummyChick]

Okay so now that Macron has pulled this handshake manuever...what is Trump’s response next time someone tries it...because you know it will be tried again.

[allendale]

American conservatives are beginning to question the value of NATO ( a necessity sixty years ago) and other agreements such as the “Paris accords” that intertwine the US with Western Europe and its current policies. The globalist EU is led and governed by people who at their core are socialist, neo pagan and disdain their cultural heritage. Trump or no Trump, if American conservatives, about half of the body politic in the US, conclude that they will no longer support globalist entities such as NATO and the UN, those organizations will begin to wither and a new dynamic will slowly evolve. Do these institutions enhance American security and well being or is the human and material cost debilitating to the American people?

[hotsteppa]

Who cares?

[RummyChick]

You may not..and it may be insignificant to you..but handshakes between leaders get big play....like Trump and Merkel.

So next time a leader tries to Strong arm him with a handshake like Macron to send a message to his people and to the world (and that is what Macron has admitted to doing)... he has to be ready.

[Glad2bnuts]

If NATO is consumed with the massive migration of Africans, why should they worry about the Russians? If they are lucky, Putin will save them from Islam. If not, they have brought it on themselves. We should bow out of NATO and the UN, taking our weapons with us, and shuttering the building in NYC.

[hotsteppa]

It is insignificant to me because I do not use the media as my filter in seeing the reality of who was in command at the Summit. And I am sure my view is shared among many real voters (Montana). So what if Macron wants to run off his mouth about the meaning of a handshake. Let the media run with their squirrel story. The real story was that Trump told the euroweenies where to go and ignored their ridiculous counsel. Now that's historic and significant I may say.

[Bigg Red]

+1

[AlanGreenSpam]

I totally agree.

The writing is on the wall for Europe with demographics now making it a Muslim continent within a few generations. Merkel accelerated that timeline by decades by importing millions more. It’s now unavoidable.

And the weak Euros deserve every bit of what they’ll get because they’ve been both gullible and arrogant.

So don’t spend another red cent on defending Europe.

Let Putin have it and he’ll strongarm the Islamists like the Euros cannot. He’s not PC at all.