The World No Longer Takes Trump Seriously

 

In a half dozen months, 47 has done more to hurt America than any country has been able to do for generations. 

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Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter.

"The leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea are not good men. They preside over brutal autocracies replete with secret police and prison camps. But they are, nevertheless, serious men, and they know an unserious man when they see one. For nearly a decade, they have taken Donald Trump’s measure, and they have clearly reached a conclusion: The president of the United States is not worthy of their respect.

Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing is the most recent evidence that the world’s authoritarians consider Trump a lightweight. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s maximum nepo baby, Kim Jong Un, gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. (Putin’s Belarusian satrap, Alexander Lukashenko, was also on hand.) The American president was not invited: After all, what role did the United States play in defeating Japan and liberating Eurasia? Instead, Trump, much like America itself, was left to watch from the sidelines.

But the parade was worse than a mere snub. Putin, Xi, and Kim stood in solidarity while reviewing China’s military might only weeks after Putin came to Alaska and refused Trump’s pleas to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. The White House tried to spin that ill-advised summit into at least a draw between Putin and Trump, but when the Kremlin’s dictator shows up with no interest in negotiation, speaks first at a press conference, and then caps the day by declining a carefully planned lunch and flying home, that’s a humiliation, not an exchange of views.

Nor has Trump fared very well with the other two members of this cheery 21st-century incarnation of SPECTRE. In the midst of Trumpian chaos, Xi is adroitly positioning China as the new face of international stability and responsibility. He has even made a show of offering partnership to China’s rival and former enemy India: Chinese diplomats last month said that China stands with India against the American “bully” when Trump was, for some reason, trying to impose 50 percent tariffs on India.

Likewise, the North Koreans, after playing to Trump’s ego and his ignorance of international affairs during meetings in the president’s first term, have continued their march to a nuclear arsenal that within years could grow to be larger than the United Kingdom’s. Trump was certain that he could negotiate with Kim, but the perfumed days of “love letters” between Trump and Kim are long over. Pyongyang’s leadership seems to know that it costs them little to humor Trump politely, but that they should reserve serious discussion for the leaders of serious countries.

Trump responded to his exclusion from the gala in Beijing by acting exactly like the third-tier leader that Xi, Putin, and Kim seem to think he is. As the event was taking place, Trump took to his social-media site—of course—to express his hurt feelings with a cringe-inducing attempt at a zinger. “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

Now, the reality is that Russia, China, and North Korea are conspiring against America, but it is beneath both the dignity and the power of an American president to whine about it. Trump continued his unseemly carping with a demand that China recognize the valor of the Americans who died in the Pacific:

The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and 'blood' that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice!

This message does not exactly project confidence and leadership; instead, it sounds like the grousing of a man beset by insecurities. A more self-assured commander in chief would have ignored the parade and, if asked about it, would have said something to the effect that the United States has always respected the sacrifices of our allies in World War II. But not Trump: He petulantly declared that he would not have attended even if the cool kids had invited him.

Authoritarians are unfortunately in good company in treating Trump as an incompetent leader. Even America’s allies have recognized that Trump may be their formal partner, but that they mostly get things done with the American president by soothing his ego and working around him. After Trump emerged from the summit in Anchorage essentially parroting Putin’s talking points, seven top European leaders rushed to Washington to tell Trump that he had done well and that they truly, really respected him, but that perhaps he should hold off on being a co-signer of Kremlin policy.

Trump’s damage to American power and prestige would be less severe if the president had a foreign policy and a team to execute it. He has neither: Trump ran for president mostly for personal reasons, including to stay out of prison, and his foreign policy, such as it is, is merely an extension of his personal interests. He holds summits, issues social-media pronouncements, and engages in photo ops mostly, it seems, either to burnish his claim to a Nobel Prize or to change the news cycle when issues such as the economy (or the Jeffrey Epstein files) get too much traction.

Worse, Trump is no longer surrounded by people who care about foreign affairs or can competently step in and create consistent policy. In his first term, Trump had a secretary of defense, James Mattis, who helped to create a national-defense strategy, a document that Trump might have ignored but was at least promulgated to a national-security establishment that needed direction from someone, somewhere. Now, at the Pentagon, Trump has Pete Hegseth, who shows little apparent inclination or ability to think about complexities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was supposed to be one of the new “adults in the room,” but he has instead become a man in a Velcro suit, with the president sticking jobs and responsibilities onto him without any further guidance. He has been reduced to sitting glumly in White House press sprays with foreign leaders while Trump embarrasses himself and his guests. Meanwhile, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is spending her time trying to root out the spies she thinks hate the president. Unfortunately, the agents she’s hunting are Americans, which must bring a smile to Xi’s face and perhaps even produce a belly laugh from former KGB officer Putin.

America is adrift. It has no coherent foreign policy, no team of senior professionals managing its national defense and diplomacy, and a president who has little interest in the world beyond what it can offer him. Little wonder that the men who gathered in Beijing—three autocrats whose nations are collectively pointing many hundreds of nuclear weapons at the United States—feel free to act as if they don’t even think twice about Trump or the country he leads."

California, Oregon and Washington ally on vaccines in rebuke to Trump’s CDC

Three Democratic governors create West Coast Health Alliance amid growing turmoil at HHS under RFK Jr

The Guardian - Lauren Gambino in Los Angeles

The three states registered their concern over Kennedy’s leadership in June, when they jointly condemned his abrupt removal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – a group long considered central to vaccine safety oversight. In announcing the new alliance, the governors said they were acting to protect the health of the tens of millions of residents across California, Oregon and Washington, pledging that public health guidance would be shaped by “science-driven decision-making”. Without consistent, evidence-based leadership from the federal government, they warned, the nation’s health security was increasingly at risk.

Their action comes on the same day as more than 1,000 past and present HHS employees published a letter calling for Kennedy’s resignation. It comes two days after nine former CDC officials wrote in a New York Times guest essay that Kennedy’s leadership, and ousting of Monarez, months after he appointed her, was “unacceptable” and “unlike anything we have ever seen”.

It also marks a stark departure from some Republican-led states that have moved to loosen – or eliminate entirely – certain vaccine mandates. On Wednesday, the Florida state surgeon general announced that children will no longer be required to receive vaccines against preventable diseases including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio and hepatitis. And earlier this summer, a new law took effect in Idaho removing the requirement for children to be vaccinated to attend schools in the state.

Public health officials in California, Oregon and Washington warned of an erosion of trust in vaccines.

“Our communities deserve clear and transparent communication about vaccines – communication grounded in science, not ideology,” Sejal Hathi, the director of the Oregon health authority, said in a statement. “Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives. But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most.”

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced on Wednesday the creation of a West Coast Health Alliance aimed at safeguarding access to vaccines, amid growing turmoil at the nation’s top public health agency under the leadership of Robert F Kennedy Jr.

In a joint press release, Governors Gavin Newsom of California, Tina Kotek of Oregon, and Bob Ferguson of Washington said the CDC had become a “political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science”.

“President Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists – and his blatant politicization of the agency – is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people,” the Democratic governors said in a joint statement, adding: “California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”

The move comes days after the White House forced out the newly confirmed director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, who had clashed with Kennedy, Trump’s secretary of the US health and human services department (HHS), over his efforts to reshape federal vaccine policies in ways that contradict established scientific research. Her firing, just weeks after her confirmation, prompted several senior officials to resign in protest and has led to rising calls from lawmakers, scientists and former agency employees for Kennedy to step down. Monarez was replaced by a Trump loyalist with no medical or scientific background.

He argued that the organization’s “dysfunction” was responsible for “irrational policy” during the Covid pandemic, leading to a disproportionately large number of deaths recorded in the US compared with the global average.

In a statement, an HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon, blamed Democrats’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic for undermining public trust in vaccine policy, and said federal immunization recommendations would continue to be “based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic”.

“Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the Covid era completely eroded the American people’s trust in public health agencies,” he said.

The newly formed West Coast Health Alliance will coordinate health guidance across the three states, including evidence-based immunization recommendations. Officials say the effort is intended to provide residents with access to consistent and credible information about vaccines in the absence of reliable federal leadership.

According to the announcement, the alliance will release a set of shared principles in the coming weeks. While the states will share immunization recommendations, they will also pursue independent strategies based on their “unique laws, geographies, histories, and peoples” and with respect to Tribal sovereignty.

The three states registered their concern over Kennedy’s leadership in June, when they jointly condemned his abrupt removal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – a group long considered central to vaccine safety oversight. In announcing the new alliance, the governors said they were acting to protect the health of the tens of millions of residents across California, Oregon and Washington, pledging that public health guidance would be shaped by “science-driven decision-making”. Without consistent, evidence-based leadership from the federal government, they warned, the nation’s health security was increasingly at risk.

Their action comes on the same day as more than 1,000 past and present HHS employees published a letter calling for Kennedy’s resignation. It comes two days after nine former CDC officials wrote in a New York Times guest essay that Kennedy’s leadership, and ousting of Monarez, months after he appointed her, was “unacceptable” and “unlike anything we have ever seen”.

It also marks a stark departure from some Republican-led states that have moved to loosen – or eliminate entirely – certain vaccine mandates. On Wednesday, the Florida state surgeon general announced that children will no longer be required to receive vaccines against preventable diseases including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio and hepatitis. And earlier this summer, a new law took effect in Idaho removing the requirement for children to be vaccinated to attend schools in the state.

Public health officials in California, Oregon and Washington warned of an erosion of trust in vaccines.

“Our communities deserve clear and transparent communication about vaccines – communication grounded in science, not ideology,” Sejal Hathi, the director of the Oregon health authority, said in a statement. “Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives. But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most.”

Chief Joseph Watched a University of Washington Football Game, the Rain Dodgers, in 1903

 

On November 20, 1903, Chief Joseph (1840-1904) and his nephew Red Thunder watch a University of Washington football game in Seattle. Later that evening Joseph speaks to a crowd of people at the Seattle Theatre, located downtown at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street.

A Respected Leader

Chief Joseph was a leader of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce Tribe who achieved fame during the 1877 Nez Perce War by leading his people in a fighting retreat from the U.S Army, which had forced them off of their ancestral land in Northeast Oregon. After his surrender, Joseph and his tribe were taken to a reservation in Oklahoma, but were later sent to the Colville Reservation in North Central Washington.

Joseph's political skills and his steadfast resistance to abandon his native land earned him much admiration from his military opponents and from the American public. Over the years, Joseph made several trips to Washington D.C. to plead for his tribe's return to the Wallowa Valley. He gave talks elsewhere, hoping the public would rally behind his cause.

Welcomed by Three Knives

Joseph came to Seattle by invitation of the Washington State Historical Society, and was asked to speak to its organization. Interest in the Nez Perce Chief was strong, and the historical society promoted his talk by offering two tickets to the event for two dollars, which also paid for a year's membership in the society.

Chief Joseph arrived in Seattle by train on the night of November 19, accompanied by his nephew Red Thunder. Joseph spoke almost no English, and Red Thunder acted as his interpreter. The two men were met at the depot by Professor Edmond Meany (1862-1935), who escorted them to the Lincoln Hotel. Meany -- who communicated with Joseph in Chinook jargon -- was close friends with the chief, having written his master's thesis about Joseph two years earlier.  During that time, Joseph had given Meany the Indian name "Three Knives."

Meany arrived back at the hotel the next day at 1:00, eager to escort his guests to a University of Washington football game. Upon greeting them, Meany pulled out three cigars to share with his friends. Joseph didn't seem to like his cigar much, and Red Cloud noted that the chief usually preferred smoking a pipe.

Off to the Game

The men made their way to Yesler Way to grab a streetcar to the University of Washington. There was a breakdown on the James Street line, so the Yesler Way car was packed. Meany jostled his way in, his guests in tow. Joseph inched through the crowd of football fans and squeezed into a seat.

They arrived at Athletic Field and made their way to the sidelines. When the undergraduates saw the chief, they lifted their megaphones and began cheering, "Rah! Rah! Rah!" Joseph turned in their direction, and Meany told him that the cheers were for him. The chief had been quite stoic up until that moment, but now looked noticeably pleased.

Tom McDonald (1881-1937), star tackle for the University of Washington team, was called over to meet Joseph. The young man, padded in leather, his hands wrapped in tape, grabbed Joseph's hand with a mighty grip. Joseph eyed the young man approvingly, and when McDonald trotted back to his teammates, Joseph turned to Red Thunder and said, "Him skookum," a Chinook word meaning strong or powerful.

"I Had a Good Time"

The football teams took to the field and the University of Washington players began battling it out in the mud with the young men from the University of Nevada. Chief Joseph showed little emotion, and seemed puzzled by the game. Meany, on the other hand, was very excited and jumped up and down during some of the more exciting plays. Eventually, Joseph made his way to the right field bleachers to find a seat.

At one point, a little boy came up to Joseph and extended his hand in greeting. Joseph looked at the lad and held out a single finger for the young child to shake. The boy, thinking that this was some form of Indian gesture, stuck out his own finger and touched fingertips with Joseph. The Chief smiled at this.

The University of Washington won the game 2 – 0, scoring only a safety. In Chinook, Joseph dictated his opinion on the game to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. As translated by Meany, Chief Joseph said, "I saw a lot of white men almost fight today. I do not think this good. This may be all right but I believe it is not. I feel pleased that Washington won the game. Those men I would think would break their legs and arms, but they did not get mad. I had a good time at the game with my white friends."

The End of a Long Day

They returned to the streetcar line, and Meany recommended that they go to the last car in line, so as to get a good seat.  Unfortunately, that car dropped them off downtown on 2nd Avenue, which meant a steep climb up Madison Street to the Lincoln Hotel. Joseph, who was bowlegged and suffered rheumatism in his knees, was winded by the time he got there and could only say, "Tired," as he walked inside.

Still slightly fatigued, Joseph showed up late for his speech in front of the Washington University State Historical Society at the Seattle Theatre. He and Red Thunder arrived in street clothes, carrying carpet bags and blankets. While they dressed backstage, Meany stepped up to the podium and briefly explained the delay. Some of the college boys in the balcony bided the time by singing songs.

When Chief Joseph and Red Thunder finally stepped out on stage, they were dressed in traditional buckskin clothing and wore large feathered headdresses. Both men took a seat as Judge Cornelius Hanford (1849-1926) opened the meeting with a few short remarks. Then, Chief Joseph took to the podium with former Indian Agent Henry Steele at his side as interpreter.

Chief Joseph's Speech

"I feel very well on account of meeting my white friends. I am glad to meet all the men, all the women, and all the children. I am glad to be here today. I had lots of pleasure, lots of fun. Today, my heart is way off from here, far away. Today I would like to be back in my old home in Wallowa Valley. All my friends are there. My father is buried there. Some of my children are buried there. I like the white people, but they have driven me out of my home. I have friendly feelings for the for all that. My blood is the same that flows in the veins of the white men. We will all die just the same, but I have one grievance, that is because I am not allowed to go back to my old home. My only hope of my declining years is that I may go home and die among my friends.

"When I went to Washington and met President McKinley, the President told me he would help me a good deal. I am sorry I cannot go. I would like to have all my friends help me to go back to my old home. When in New York I met Commissioner of Indian Affairs Jones. He promised to send out commissioners to deal with me and to send me back to Wallowa. That is another case where the government has broken its promises. I think they may come New Years, but I don’t expect they will.  It ain't good to have them lie like that. They are big liars.

"I fought for my land and lost it at that time. They have told me time and again for the last few years that I might go back, but I have not had an opportunity.  I am going to keep on asking the government to go back to my old home. Colville is not my home. Other Indians are there. They are not like me. It is not a good territory. I am sick all the time. Today I have a very kind feeling toward the white people. I am glad to meet them all, glad to meet my friends (The Seattle Times, November 21, 1903)."

Handshakes and Photos

After Joseph finished his speech, Professor Meany stepped up and gave a vivid talk about the chief's history. Afterwards, audience members came up to the stage to shake Joseph's hand.

The next day, Meany accompanied Chief Joseph and Red Thunder to Edward Curtis's photography studio to have their portraits taken. Meany sat in on at least one photograph, and seemed very pleased to be captured on film with his friends.

Chief Joseph and Red Thunder remained in Seattle for a few days, finishing their trip with a talk in Denny Hall at the University of Washington. They returned to the Colville reservation, but Chief Joseph would journey no more. He died and was buried in Nespelem less than a year later, never to return to his home land of the Wallowa Valley.