No! America Doesn’t Have Lots of Friends Around the World
Unless You Count the Dictatorships
At the Planet Fitness I’m a member of, there is a row of televisions that users of various machines can watch and plug into for volume while they get their workout. When you turn it on, the default is Fox News, which occupies two of the ten slots. CNN has two spots, ESPN has two, HGTV has one, along with ABC, and two local stations. I watch some Fox News segments from time to time to see what they are saying on the other side.
One morning recently, Fox host Harris Faulkner hosted a panel to discuss Donald Trump’s First 100 Days in office. The group was composed of three Democrats, three Republicans, and three Independents. Faulkner controlled the flow and the questions. I could point out how one-sided things were, but it was Fox News; that was a given.
One of the Democrats responded to a question about Trump’s term thus far, and he criticized Trump’s tariffs and said America had lost all of its friends around the world. Faulkner couldn’t let that stand, correcting the man’s opinion by saying America had many friends, pointing to its continued participation in the G-7 and G-20. She called out one country as an example, saying, “Mexico is our friend!”
Mexico, like several other nations, may be doing all it can to maintain a cordial relationship with America but the nations could hardly be described as friends. I point to a recent statement by Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, in which she recounted a recent telephone conversation with Trump.
“In one of the calls, he said to me, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the U.S. Army come in to help you.’ And you know what I told him? No, President Trump. Our territory is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended. We will never accept the presence of the United States military on our soil.” — Claudia Sheinbaum
Does anyone think Mexico has forgotten that Trump called Mexicans “rapists” and “criminals?” Trump responded to Sheinbaum in a Trumpian way with criticism and insults. This is not how friends talk to each other.
“Well she’s so afraid of the cartels she can’t walk, so you know that’s the reason. And I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight.” — Donald Trump
How about our former friends to the North, Canada? Canada just elected a liberal Prime Minister vowing to break up with America and go out and get new friends.
“Our old relationship, based on steadily increasing integration, is over. My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada. In parallel, we will strengthen our relationships with reliable trading partners and allies.” — Mark Carney
Old friend Australia reelected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who was sagging in the polls based on promises to fight Trump. The European Union is responding to Trump comments that it was formed to “screw the United States.” Almost the whole world is pissed at Trump for his unilateral tariffs with a few exceptions. Some of the countries Trump imposed on aren’t populated with people so the penguins probably aren’t mad. Then there are the dictatorships that really are Trump’s friends, and the ones doing business deals with Trump family members (Jared, Eric, and Don Jr), most of which benefit Trump financially.
The Democrat that Harris Faulkner chastised slunk back into his chair and didn’t speak again during the rest of the panel. Faulkner had the last word, purporting that America has “lots of friends.” Since Mexico is obviously untrue, I would allow her to name another, not counting Russia with Putin, or Hungary with Viktor Orban. Faulkner forgot to mention that America is also a member of NATO. How’s that working out?
Who, besides his diehard MAGA supporters or those paid to promote him, believes Trump hasn’t damaged our relationships around the world? He’s threatened to take Greenland and Panama by force. He keeps insisting Canada would make a good 51st state and said he won’t be the Pope, sharing an AI-generated photo of himself in the pontiff’s outfit.
Friends are people with whom you can agree to disagree. By that definition, Donald Trump has no friends, and by extension, neither does America.
"There's No Egg In An Egg-Cream." I don't know, just popped into my head. I'm past the display of outward inanity from this current administration. It's just one angry, bitter narcissist doing his level worst to damn everyone around him but his immediate family and the dire-hard sychophants with which he surrounds himself. Everything is for sale here. The Art, The Culture, Infrastructure, Public Lands, Public Domain, American History, Americas Future.
My guess is we won't know for a decade what truly terrible things have been done to us from behind the throne. And by then, most of his supporters will be on sanctification, obfuscation or a level of denial almost unimaginable, except in politics.
Maybe he thinks the island with penguins are Nuns. DD