Donald Trump said he didn’t need to prepare for the summit with murderous North Korean dictator Kim Jon Ung. He goes by his gut. He doesn’t need to learn the ins-and-outs of diplomacy, no need to learn customs or even military protocol. No need to take advice from the U.S. State Department or the National Security Council. His gut and his charm are all he needs.
Nevertheless, you’d think it would be a no-brainer not to salute a general from a foreign military, one that has been threatening nuclear war with the United States for decades. But, not Trump. And now North Korean state-run television is running this video on repeat. Donald Trump saluting their general, giving him the ultimate legitimacy. What kind of message does that send to the North Koreans who’ve been living under the threat of starvation and firing squads at the hands of this very same general? Watch this humiliating footage. The salute sequence happens around the :55 second mark.
This is no laughing matter. Protocols matter. They are symbolic of our values and they send ripples around the world. What message is this sending to the world?
As if that weren’t enough, late on Air Force One when Trump was asked about Kim Jong Un executing people, he gave this absolutely chilling defense of Kim Jong Un. And to be clear, before you watch this response, note that Kim Jong Un has reportedly murdered citizens with firing squads, poisoning, flamethrowers and anti-aircraft. He even once reportedly ordered someone killed with a mortar so that a single hair didn't survive. Now watch:
Vile. Un-American. Humiliating. Shameful.
And to prove how much of a curve Donald Trump is graded on, let’s revisit this 2014 trip to Japan that President Obama took. He visited a tech conference and received a demonstration of a robot capable of playing soccer. Upon greeting the robot, President Obama gave a slight traditional Japanese bow and oh, lordy! The rightwing splashed it across their front pages.
What we wouldn’t give for that headline today, right?
BONUS: Here is a great round-up of right wing media hits against Obama for bowing.
One can only imagine if Obama had curtsied to the King of Saudi Arabia.
Campaign Action
