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Trump Hangs up on Australia, Threatens to Invade Mexico (Maybe)
Trump’s apparent dispute with Turnbull on Saturday came on the same day that he held phone calls with four other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. …
The disagreement came as the two leaders discussed an agreement, reached under the Obama administration, for the US to accept refugees from Australia who are living on islands in detention centers off the mainland due to strict government policies. Many of them are from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban. Trump on Friday also suspended the entry of all refugees for 120 days, along with indefinitely suspending the entry of Syrian refugees.
Here’s some background:
Turnbull apparently told Trump that to honor the agreement, the US wouldn’t have to accept all of the refugees but only to allow them each through the normal vetting procedures. “At that, Trump vowed to subject each refugee to “extreme vetting,” the senior U.S. official said.”
Turnbull suggested they move on to discuss Syria and other pressing issues. But Trump ended the call, or, depending which account you’re reading, “Hung up on the prime minister of Australia.”
By the way, here’s a good piece by an immigration officer who works for the Department of Homeland Security: Refugees are already vigorously vetted. I know because I vetted them:
During nearly four years as an immigration officer with Homeland Security, I conducted in-person interviews with hundreds of refugees in 10 countries from 20 different nationalities. I have had countless refugees break down crying in my interview room because of the length and severity of the vetting process. From that experience and numerous security briefings, I can affirm that whoever wrote Trump’s executive order blocking refugees from the United States is wholly unfamiliar with the U.S. immigration system, U.S. laws, international law and the security threats facing our nation. I can’t speak for all refugee and asylum officers, but I can say that those who have been working in immigration for years from opposite ends of the political spectrum are appalled by these new policies.
Separately, The Associated Press reported that Trump told Enrique Peña Nieto that Mexico had “a bunch of bad hombres down there,” and threatened to send in the US military to intervene.
“You have a bunch of bad hombres down there,” Trump told Pena Nieto, according to the excerpt seen by the AP. “You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”
The Mexican government says it never happened:
The Mexican government on Wednesday vehemently denied reports that President Trump threatened to send American soldiers into Mexico during a phone call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Such a threat “did not happen during that call,” said a government statement released on Twitter Wednesday night.
“I know it with absolute certainty, there was no threat,” Peña Nieto spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said in a radio interview. “The things that have been said are nonsense and a downright lie.”
People will probably believe what they want to believe based on whether they like Trump or think he and his spawn are a curse upon the land, and whether they think humiliating and threatening allies on the phone is a useful, vigorous way to represent our interests or an utterly boneheaded, dangerous way to run our foreign policy.
What’s your guess?
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My guess is that @claire hates Trump and will assume the worst. I hope I am wrong.
My guess is that this is just more of the same from the same people.
It would be nice if there were trustworthy news sources and more pundits without obvious agendas.
Wait, so we are spurning legacy allies and not Putin now? I’m sorry I can’t do this anymore. America, you raised me to hate Russia. Along with the fact that my family left Communist Romania and my father being naturalized by serving in Vietnam, that will never go away.
Build the wall, deport them all.
It’s very wicked of me but I think it’s quite funny. (I thought Malcolm looked a little green around the gills in the news yestreen.)
The Edina Monsoon Presidency.
You gotta laugh, right?
I am a Nigerian prince in a bind but perhaps you good folks here can help me.
All of President Trump’s generals know darn good and well what a power hungry KGB commie thug Putin is.
Like it or not, Deportation of them all is far too costly. Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback” which gave birth to the INS and our already militarized border (in places that don’t have natural migration obstacles like the Sonoran desert). It was a colossal boondoggle and that was even with a militarized arm regimented and mobilized by WWII & Korea. Not to mention it ended the Bracero program which allowed migrant workers to traverse back and forth.
If you think Immigration is broken because of lack of will, you are wrong. It’s due to the fact that the South never diversified from its Agrarian roots. When Sb-1070 franchised to Georgia, it was repealed within the year when their economy collapsed like a deck of cards. This combined with the fact that President Trump is implementing classic Northern Protectionism of Tariffs, something we kinda fought a yuge war over — the South will wise again and remember that it loves free trade and hates paying for Rust Belt manufacturing.
General Mattis is my favorite thing to happen to our Presidential Cabinet in a LOOONG time.
Perhaps the immigration folks quoted are too sympathetic towards the immigrants.
(Rant incoming apologies) The farce with Mexico only bothers me as a fiscal conservative. The blase consideration of Russia (one that soured me on Obama in the 2012 exchanges w/Romney & hot mic episode) raises my ideological hackles.
I pursued Judo not because I’m part Asian, but because I’m part Eastern European. My father was well-versed in Sambo and Judo and celebrated their precepts of leverage and position as translatable to life’s success. Putin is a Judoka and Sambo-specialist — or so he arrogantly proclaims, which either means he doesn’t actually practice them— or is a master and knows exactly how to bluff power.
Judo involves a great amount of Gi-work and stances. Manipulating aggression, creating false weaknesses, and fighting in the movement. How this translates to our current Russian predicament is anyone’s guess — but we need to start guessing cautiously as we are woefully behind Putin.
Putin couldn’t be better poised than he is right now. We all know Russia’s biggest natural defense has also been their global economic Achilles’ Heel: no warm-water access. Their annexation of Ukraine, Syrian intrigue, and Iranian back-dealing has all been in an effort to secure passage to the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. The Russo-Ottoman wars were strictly, in my opinion, to gain access to the Bosphorus Strait. Turkey joined NATO specifically to have this regarded as a “sphere of influence” reducing the strategic value of the Black Sea..(c)
Russia’s commerce now is almost exclusively Arms Dealing and Fuel. From the AK47 to their new unsurpassed anti-aircraft artillery, there is no telling the insane innovations they have kept to themselves — or sold others. In dealing with Totalitarian regimes, making odious alliances can be a Pyrrhic Victory. However, our trade connection to China is vastly more dependable than the partisanship gaming orchestrated by Putin — whom one dissident described as an “expert in using the West against the West”. China, however, knows Putin for who he is. After all: “Scratch a Russian and find a Mongolian.” The Great Wall, absurdly touted as a model for our Southern border, was specifically built to keep invading-Tatars like Putin out. Eurasian steepe warriors born on a horse; carried in a quiver.
This is Putin. Born into dire ruin. Lived and breathed KGB until the 1991 coup against Gorbachev — and if you believe he resigned because he believed in Perestroika rather than defected — you are lying to yourself.
Malcolm was probably waffling again, Lord Waffle of Wentworth is what many in Australia call him a very fitting name. But seriously I’d be interested to know what Australia has to do in return for the US accepting these illegals, I’ve heard that Australia may have to take some refugees from Latin America in return. I will defend Malcolm on one thing though, he’s being attacked by the left for contributing $1.75 million to his own re-election campaign, I have a feeling that Trump may have spent slightly more.
The Australian PM denies the story. Someone is either making stuff up out of whole cloth or embellishing leaks. If civil servants are involved in the active undermining of a US President there should be an investigation and charges brought if appropriate.
Simply put, this is Fake News. Try to find the source; I dare you. It is news people quoting news people quoting news people… it’s news people all the way down, to coin a phrase.
None of the MSM have any qualms any more about reporting unverified news. They simply do not care.
I
Then bungy bungy or wood chippered
Of course he does!
What’s he going to do, admit that Donald told him to FO?
It seems plausible that Trump would end the call once the PM wanted to discuss Syria and other pressing issues, since Trump has revealed himself to be ignorant about Syria and other pressing issues.
If domestic policy were Trump’s only responsibility, the next four years would be a wild fun ride, fascinating to watch. But this impulsive guy is the most powerful player in a ridiculously complex and dangerous world. I pray he’s more stable and informed than he appears.
Indeed. Where’s low-energy Jeb! when we need him?
Find out the media narrative. Figure out how they’re trying to deceive this time. There’s always the possibility of a new wrinkle.
If the media prints it, then it is a lie. Most likely some reporter picked it up off of Twitter and ran with it since he/she/it could always point to that as his source. Sadly our MSM has shown itself even less credible than RT.
Our media has been lying to us for decades but it has really jumped the shark in the last two Presidencies. Some of the old guard may still be trying to publish unbiased stories with actual facts but if so it is no longer noticeable. Reporters are effectively nothing more than political operatives with bylines. Publishing whatever garbage that further their opinions and make them some cash.
He didn’t deny it. He declined to comment on it. Big (Ly) difference.
Turnbull is a slimeball who backstabbed his way into power and ruined our main right-wing party by pandering to the globalist left. He visited the US and spoke with Hilary and Rubio while snubbing Trump. After all that he has done to stuff us, hanging up on Turnbull and showing him the contempt he deserves only makes me admire Trump more than I already do.
The viewpoint of entire countries cannot be crystallised through one vague press clipping.
And the Aus policy is flawed in that it depends on the kindness and goodwill of other countries. Trumps approach is better by way of being more firm and absolute.
By the way, I find all your articles about Trump as irrational as any leftist. Maybe you would have a more sympathetic audience at the Guardian rather than a conservative website.
But he did: “Surprised and disappointed about the leak of the call”…”he did not hang up” – @TurnbullMalcolm speaking about @realDonaldTrump on @2GB873
So, why is this up for discussion on Ricochet? Does the author of this post have evidence that the government of Mexico is lying on this matter? I would hate to think that this is the beginning of a conspiracy theory. Pretty sure that’s frowned upon and violates the CoC, as the author well knows.
Sean Spicer will eviscerate these two issues tomorrow.
I’m curious if the media would like an executive order( which I won’t approve of but……) about their alternative facts, who makes up these facts, who distributes them, who funds them, how they get viral rapidly, and the consequences for those who freely distribute false allegations intentionally.
As they said long ago on SNL , “Dan Rather ……Not”.
The Mexican government is nothing more than a confederacy of bandits.
Where’s my money, mother&^%$#*?
Yeah, but on the upside, they have a plethora of piñatas.
And the video news post you posted is from Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, which is like the BBC on green steroids. No serious commentator on Australian affairs can call it an unbiased source.
Claire, I’m going to give you some straight advice right now:
I think you should withdraw from all writing for 6-12 months and reassess what your philosophy is, who you believe your audience is, and where you belong. Maybe you need to do what some have suggested and go back to your home country and interact with your own people for a while.
This is coming from someone who used to like your columns. The flight from reality has been astonishing. This is no longer mere criticism of policy, this is true Trump derangement syndrome.
For starters, learn to write in a more concise manner. You wrote the 10 rules of blog posting and you break rule 1 every time. Also, go back and reread your final paragraph, and tell me how it’s writing someone would expect from a paid contributor for a ‘smart civil’ subscription website rather than just a twitter troll.