I really don’t need to cite examples from Trump’s European tour de force my way to the front of the line behavior that has led all world leaders with the exception of Putin worried.
According to the Merriam-Webster definition, “shove” is on target: “to push along” or to “push or put in a rough, careless, or hasty manner.”
Let’s break it down.
A slow-motion viewing of the video indicates no words spoken by Trump as he approaches the group from behind. No “Excuse me” or “Pardon me.”
Trump reaches out his right arm, grabs Markovic’s right shoulder and pushes him aside. Markovic looks surprised. Trump doesn’t acknowledge his existence as he moves past him. It’s as if Markovic isn’t there.
Markovic abruptly looks back at Trump but gets no eye contact from Trump in return.
Then he pats Trump on the back, or perhaps the arm, displaying a slight grin as Trump, at the front of the group, stands tall and adjusts his suit coat. Trump begins conversing with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite as Markovic looks on from behind. Breaking Down Trump’s Shove, Washington Post.
No doubt Trump supporters who come across this will call me a traitor or worse, but I have no doubt that in his dark heart Trump does not care one whit about America. As a malignant narcissist he is not capable of caring about anyone but himself. Here’s a list of 20 traits I hadn’t seen before. How many do you think Trump has?
Putin himself would have liked to have done a lot worse to Prime Minister Dusko Markovic of Montenegro than merely shove him.
This was Markovic's and Montenegro's first NATO summit. The tiny Balkan country has just been accepted into the alliance, much to Moscow's chagrin.
Authorities in Montenegro say
they stopped a Russian-backed plot to kill Markovic's predecessor, which was aimed at preventing Montenegro from joining NATO. They have arrested 14 people, including two Russians. (Russia denies involvement.) The plot, prosecutors say, sought to install a new government loyal to Russia and opposed to Montenegro's efforts to grow closer to the West and to NATO. The plot failed, and now Montenegro is becoming NATO's 29th member.
Read : Why Trump's prime minister shove pleased Putin
As londondem observed, Trump was the only, or the only world leaders at the summit not to wear the NATO pin. It’s a small example, but a telling one. I assume everyone was given a 2017 summit pin.
Trump standing in front of a powerful 911 memorial and scolding NATO for not paying their dues overshadowed his preempting Theresa May’s rightful right by asking for a moment of silence for the victims of the Manchester massacre. In fact, the moment was really just a moment when it should have been a minute. Trump couldn’t stand to allow anyone to actually reflect or silently pray for more than a few seconds out of his time to dominate the podium.
Various media accounts report that the adults in the Trump administration, like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis are desperately trying to persuade that Trump didn’t really mean what he clearly meant to say. How can White House adults explain the president’s behavior to intelligent observers without saying he is mentally ill, a malignant narcissist?
Really, inquiring minds want to know.