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PaperclipPerfector  7d ago (text post)   32221 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 31, 2025

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He wrote a book on this.

No he didn't. The man who wrote the book has admitted his share of fault in building the myth that the man who bankrupted multiple casinos and has to give personal guarantees on commercial mortgages because his credit is shot is a successful businessman.

Here's a question: can you point out any actions he took in the foreign relations arena, from his first term, where he straight up 'lost?' i.e. where he capitulated with absolutely nothing to show for it or maybe even gave something up?

He surrendered to the Taliban. The surrender agreement was timed to go into effect after the election, meaning that he got to blame Biden, but it was Trump's deal.

Oh, and remember when he Went to North Korea, the FIRST President to do so, and got them to at least verbally agree to denuclearization talks?, and NK has been substantially less uppity since then?

Has North Korea actually taken any steps towards denuclearisation, or did they just offer Trump a photo op? Trump has a demonstrated pattern of kayfabe gunboat diplomacy where he threatens to harm another country and then doesn't do so because they announce something that doesn't cost them anything or deliver any actual benefit to the US - for example the first round of Canada tariffs which were dropped in exchange for Trudeau reannouncing a border security package he had already announced in November, or 1st term Trump relaxing tariffs on China in exchange for a non-binding promise to buy more American soybeans.

At the risk of speculating TOO much, its what you might expect from a "Door in the Face" negotiation tactic.

Did you read your helpfully provided Wiki link? DITF is about making a big ask which you know is going to be rejected in order to anchor the following smaller ask as reasonable. Trump hasn't made an ask - the tariffs are not, in fact, reciprocal, and the countries they are being imposed on know this even if the US public don't. If we are using feet and doors as our preferred metaphor, Trump's tactics here are banging the door down with a battering ram while shouting "Make me an offer, motherfuckers!" There isn't a name for that particular approach to negotiating, because it is retarded.

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