At the G-7 summit in Canada Donald Trump managed to alienate or piss off most of our post-WW2 allies.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, his host, was and continues to be the victim of Trump’s direct lashing out via twitter.
Then, not even a week later, Trump travels to a Singaporean gig set up on-the-quick with North Korean “president” Kim Jong-Un. In the meeting Mr Kim agrees to nothing binding, makes no real promises or concessions, and apologizes for nothing.
In exchange American and South Korean forces call off training exercises in the South Pacific.
Trump himself heaps praise on Mr Kim.
Meanwhile, a few of those right-wing nut bags that I’ve been friends with since we were kids (and so have not yet unfriended on Facebook) are championing this as Nobel Prize-worthy, the work of a consummate negotiator and humanitarian, and something to be admired.
Keep in mind they are saying these things about negotiations with a murderous dictator who requires his people to bow before him, lest they be sent to the gulag.
If I were Chinese or Russian or any other shade of people, and I was inclined to distrust democratic leadership and champion authoritarian rule, and I had a more-than-passing savvy for long-term political trends and also a rivalry and/or hatred towards the United States and the values we are supposed to champion, I would be very pleased indeed right now.