Trumpiana: Dealmaker, peacemaker, bystander —dictator approved!
Don’s dream of a peace Nobel fades with from pal Putin to ally Bibi turning a deaf ear to him
As the POTUS weighed a weighty question— to help Israel bomb the hell out of Iran or take a shot at his long coveted Nobel Peace Prize by brokering peace — he had a date with an unusual visitor.
Aiming to please his “honored” guest Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir, newly anointed as Field Marshal – for losing the three-day war to India as trolls would say – was served with a rumored all halal menu with dollops of butter.
What was not halal on the menu for a Pakistani army chief, who was also not the President or came with a civilian leader — was served, again as flies on the wall would have it, at their pow vow later — a demand for use of Pakistani military bases for an attack on Iran, if Uncle Sam so chose.
Pakistani Army acknowledged Trump had expressed keen interest in forging a ‘mutually beneficial’ trade partnership — encompassing economic development, mines and minerals, AI, energy, cryptocurrency and emerging technologies — with Pakistan “based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests.”
It did not explain why the President would talk trade with an army chief — revealing who calls the shots in Pakistan and its readiness to once again do Uncle Sam’s ‘dirty work’ as it admittedly has done for the last 30 years.
Trump insisted he had only invited Munir to thank him for stopping a Pakistan-India war, “two big nuclear powers big ones, big, big nuclear powers.” Cooing a “I love Pakistan” song, said he, “I am so happy.”
But even as he suggested, “we are working a trade deal with India and also with Pakistan,” Trump for once did not repeat his claim that the ceasefire was brokered by him with India’s Modi plainly telling him over phone that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do.
A grateful Munir, who had wangled the invite after pitching for a Nobel for him, however, made it official Saturday with Pakistan recommending Trump’s name in recognition of his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.”
But a sulking friend Modi wouldn’t let him take credit. And pal Putin who had called “to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran” wouldn’t stop his war in Ukraine despite his repeated pleas.
Yet Trump had chided colleagues at G7 summit in Canada for kicking out the Russian leader from the grouping before leaving early for working on something “much bigger” than an Israel-Iran ceasefire “as publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly” claimed.
Trump wouldn’t say what he discussed about Iran with Munir, beyond a cryptic Pakistanis “know Iran very well, better than most. It’s not that they’re bad with Israel… but they see what’s going on, and he agreed with me.”
But just two days later, Trump suggested there is little he can do to stop Israeli attacks on Iran, saying, “If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing.”
A day after backing away from threats that raised the specter of an imminent U.S. strike and creating a two-week window for deciding — as he has done on various issues at least 1o times since the beginning of May by an NBC count—Trump said he still wanted to be a “peacemaker.”
Modi, Putin and Israel’s Bibi Netanyahu may have turned a deaf ear to him, but a federal appeals court heard him clearly allowing him to maintain command of the California National Guard in response to the Los Angeles protests.
“We had a big victory last night against Gavin Newscum,” as Trump calls California governor Newsom,” he crowed on Truth Social. “We saved Los Angeles by having the military go in…”
Then out of the blue he piled again on his predecessor trumpeting, “Zero Border crossings for the month for TRUMP, verses 60,000 for Sleepy, Crooked Joe Biden, a man who lost the 2020 Presidential Election by a “LANDSLIDE!”
“Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD! The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING,” he wrote calling for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor.
And as he reopened arrests of immigrant workers at hotels, restaurants and agricultural businesses just a week after saying they were necessary workers whose jobs were almost “impossible” to replace, Trump decided to check the immigration status of a work crew installing a new beautiful flagpole “gifted by me”at the White House.
“Do we have anybody here?” he asked, turning to the workers. “Any illegal immigrants?” When no one responded, he told the men it was the news media, not him, who would be checking them.
“They’ll find out,” he said, “They’ll be checking you. You won’t believe it. Your whole life will be destroyed because of this press conference.”
But Trump was quick to assure them he’d be on their side.“Don’t worry, I think you’re going to be OK,” he said to one man. “I’ll be right behind you. Far behind.” The men laughed as he assured them, “No, I’ll be right behind you.”
But Trump was not amused at a new “eye-sore of a sculpture” erected on the National Mall to protest his June 14 Army Day parade, which also happened to be his birthday, amid “No Kings” protests across the country.
Titled “Dictator Approved,” the sculpture shows a gold-painted hand with a distinctive thumbs-up squashing the sea foam green crown of the Statue of Liberty. Its base is decorated with four plaques highlighting quotes from authoritarian leaders — from Putin to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un — praising Trump.
“In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called ‘art,’ no matter how ugly it is,” retorted a White House spokesperson.
PS: This piece is not “Dictator Approved.”
