Gee, nothing obvious about giving Trump a gift with his name on it and on a base made of gold.
It is interesting, and more than a little nauseating, to watch political and business elites realize that the best way to get to what they want from Trump is to flatter him and play to his ego. It was what was going on with the whole “Daddy” routine from NATO, as well as the EU president making positive noises about Trump’s deal-making prowess.
All of this feels like a combination of some real concessions to get Trump of their backs alongside a heaping helping of flattery and promises that may, or may not, ever actually come to fruition.
One thing is likely clear to these people: Trump likes to announce that he won and then move on to something else. He really isn’t a details person, shall we say.
This isn’t to say that a lot of the tariff policy isn’t real and isn’t a looming disaster, because it is.
Also: none of this is the way government should operate.
