Trump has scuttled his credibility and trustworthiness. He’s buried it. What political leader, domestic or foreign, can trust anything he says?
He destroyed it by radical shifting of his positions. He flipped 180 degrees on Syria, the world knows. Now he’s completely changed direction on NATO:
“Trump, meanwhile, dialed back his pre-inauguration criticism that NATO is ‘obsolete,’ citing more involvement in fighting terrorism. ‘I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete,’ he said.”
He’s shifted on Russia too. Today: “Right now, we’re not getting along with Russia at all, we may be at an all-time low.”
These radical shifts undermine his credibility because nothing of substance has actually happened with Syria, NATO or Russia. There is no reason grounded in the actual foreign situations that has caused these shifts. The explanations lie elsewhere, but if other forces, whatever they may be, are causing these shifts, then it still means that his own word cannot be trusted. He’s scuttling his own power.
The logical implication is that Trump doesn’t give a damn what his chosen antagonists think. He intends not to deal but to demand, browbeat and use force.
4:44 pm on April 12, 2017
