Trump will be absent from Asia-Pacific summits this week

[left-of-center2012]

SINGAPORE — When world leaders gather in this city-state and Papua New Guinea for regional summits this week, there will be a conspicuous absence: President Trump.

It is summit season in Asia, with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings due to start Tuesday in Singapore. The 10-member bloc hosts world leaders at the yearly East Asia Summit, a chance for regional leaders to strengthen ties with global powers. Most will then travel to Papua New Guinea for ­Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, hosted this year by the poorest member of a 21-country bloc of Pacific economies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting Singapore for the first time, meeting leaders in a region that is increasingly looking to Moscow for arms purchases and diplomatic protection. Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Port Moresby for the APEC summit over the weekend, underscoring Beijing’s strategic play in the South Pacific, and will be deploying Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Singapore to expand a free-trade agreement with the city-state and “upgrade its relationship” with Southeast Asian countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea will also be at the regional summits.

Trump, however, is skipping them entirely. Analysts view Trump’s absence as a lost opportunity and miscalculation at a time when Washington and Beijing are locked in a battle for influence over a region that is China’s backyard. The U.S. president’s decision not to show up is a “major problem with really bad optics,” said Brian Harding, deputy director of the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/with-trump-absent-china-and-russia-to-take-center-stage-at-asia-pacific-summits/2018/11/12/45f9b2c2-e378-11e8-ba30-a7ded04d8fac_story.html?utm_term=.cb29cd84cfad

[SHRED]

1. Cuts into his golfing and Twitter time most likely

[Hugin]

6. plus, it often rains in Singapore, too.

Can't risk that!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. more like twitting and shitting time

The two activities are becoming less distinguishable.

[lark]

2. Dotard in chief shows his orange ass yet again.

One of his big requirements from PUtin is to destroy America economically in favor of Russia, so he stays home to let his master plant Russian seeds where there used to be American bought ones. He truly hates us and is greedy for himself beyond belief.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I'm beginning to think something's wrong with him

apart from the obvious fact that he's a hot mess psychologically. He's been a no-show at so many events that I've started to wonder whether he's got a physical ailment he's trying to conceal.

[Leith]

9. I've Wondered That, Too

Even agent orange and his minion know that blowing off big international summits is horrible optics - even worse than going to them and making an obvious fool of himself.

They're hiding something. Something they can't just dismiss like everything else.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

11. When world leaders laughed at his UN "speech" he realized they think him a fool. nt

[smirkymonkey]

24. I'm thinking the same thing.

Something is very wrong here. Either he is sick or he has finally blown a gasket.

[MFM008]

30. He wont be able to hide

It if he drops dead.....

[NewJeffCT]

4. his trip to France was just so exhausting

that he needs some down time and some time on the links these next few weeks in order to unwind and de-stress.

[Just a Weirdo]

5. What's going to happen once the House cuts off the purse strings

of his waste of taxpayers dollars?

As in no more golf outings, or coddling Melanoma and the boys.

[Takket]

12. I know right?

All that time sitting in his hotel room stuffing his face and tweeting while rest of the world was honoring WWI veterans. He must be exhausted!!!

[lapfog_1]

27. has he made any public appearance since returning from france?

???

[thbobby]

7. Occam's razor concerning trump

trump is lazy. White trash with a rich daddy. Work is for others, he just wants to take credit.

All this presidential crap is work which trump has never had to do.

[redwitch]

8. He's too tired to go.

He needs a relaxing golf outing at Mar a lago.

[spanone]

10. his 'i'm a nationalist' speech....

basically told the world to fuck off

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Is it possible that deep down he has some realization that he is an inept fool...

and is hiding out in order not to fuck up again?

He is ceding leadership in Asia to China and in Europe to Russia. Could this be by design?

Japan and S. Korea can't stand up to China without us, nor can France and Germany stand up to Russia. They all know this, but the Tangerine Turdlicker either doesn't know or doesn't care. Worse, he may be in on it.

[90-percent]

14. All right

Who's the wise guy that told trump that there is a new Nobel Prize for:


BAD OPTICS.


Hand him his beer. He's got this.


-90% Jimmy

[Grasswire2]

15. Is he sick?

Or just crumbling?

[Blue_true]

20. The midterms has that shit in a tizzy.

He expected to take all red state democratic senate seats, hold Nevada and Arizona, and maybe pick off a blue state senate seat, like New Jersey. And he seriously thought that his bullshit about a caravan of invading brown people was enough to hold the house. Now most of that is blown to shit and democrats have made serious gains insidr states. Hopefully, he eats himself into a quivering blob that we take out in the 2020 elections, if Mueller does not get him and Pence first.

[Johnny2X2X]

16. Trump is clueless

China’s economy is struggling a little now, Trump thinks that will bring them back to the negotiating table. He has no clue what drives them and that their economy growing more slowly has no bearing on the trade war, it will only make them more resolute.

If our economy goes into a major recession you will see Trump truly lose it.

[Blue_true]

21. Chinese people inside China have shown during the past that they can invest in an

"us against them mindset".

[Johnny2X2X]

23. They have a long term strategy

China’s long term strategy has always been the Belt and Road trade deal to dominate the economies of Europe, Africa, and Europe. They are united as a people because of their political system, but they have been preparing to go it without the US for decades.

Trump’s unnecessary trade war with China is basically him saying to them, “you know that thing your entire country has been preparing for for 20 years? I dare you to do it now.”

When our economy stumbles, they know Trump will come crawling back to them begging for any type of deal. China is different than the US in that the government doesn’t feel the same type of pressure from business the US government does.

If we’re really lucky the deal will go back to what it was before Trump came to power.

[Blue_true]

34. China is about 5-6 times bigger than us in population.

The Silk Road alliances that it is trying to set up will connect something like 75% of the world's population. Plus, in the last 2 years, they have completely outflanked us in Africa and South America. My guess is that they will soon move into Central America in a big way. Trump is the best thing that could have happened for China, he pushes away longtime allies and causes countries that are next door to China to doubt whether we will protect them, so they make deals with China.

I have believed for a long time that if China focused on internal growth, expanding it's middle class, bringing up poor parts of that country, they will bury us in short order because of their massive population.

[Johnny2X2X]

35. The TPP was a way forward

China and the US could both still decide to join the TPP, it would be a way forward and would keep the US from getting shut out of entire continents.

Here's the thing, when Americans start to suffer just a little, Trump (or any other President) will fold. If China decides that they are going to wait it out, they will do that no matter what the price. But China is pragmatic, it's not emotional for them like it is for Trump.

[dustyscamp]

17. Hopefully he is taking out his rage instead of quietly scheming against us

[EarthFirst]

18. What's the weather forecast look like?

[spanone]

19. as he continues on his 'fuck you world' white nationalist tour....on our behalf

[meadowlander]

22. Clearing his schedule for more pants-shitting

More indictments and/or part 1 of the Mueller report definitely about to drop.

[Demovictory9]

26. Pouty McPoutface

[torius]

28. Maybe he's not allowed to fly for a while

because he recently got his moobs, er, kidneys, refilled?

[ooky]

29. And to think he accused Jeb Bush of low energy. This guy is a slug.

If he is just going to squat in the White House he should resign now.

[left-of-center2012]

33. "If he is just going to squat in the White House ..."

I read yesterday he plans to spend much of the remainder of 2018 at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

[Cha]

31. trump is Weak.. Karma is getting him

back for all the shitty ugly names he called Hillary.

On a freaking world stage no less.

[duforsure]

32. HE's too depressed to attend

Because he's ill ,and Mueller is breathing down his neck now read to lower the boom on him and his gang very , very soon. He may have been given already an ultimatum , and its really bad no matter what he does.