Why Trump Thanked Putin for Kicking out Diplomatic Staff

[MineralMan]

It's simple, really. Trump does not like diplomacy, so by extension he mistrusts everyone at the State Department. That's evidenced by his failure to fill many, many senior-level positions in that Department. They are vacant, because he demanded resignations from all of the previous administration's appointees. He appears to believe that he knows best how to deal with the diverse collection of foreign governments he faces.

Trump doesn't trust people he doesn't know. Worse, he doesn't know all that many people he trusts. So, the State Department has lost so many people who have spent their careers studying specialized areas and particular nations. When a problem arises in those areas or nations, Trump has nobody to turn to for briefings that would allow him to make informed decisions.

That's fine with Trump. He's much more comfortable shooting from the hip and acting out of instinct. Sadly, his aim from the hip is very poor and his instincts are usually wrong. So, we get to watch him interact with the insane leader of North Korea from a position of little to no knowledge of that person's motivations, history or potential actions. The same is true of his interactions with the leadership of most nations, including our own allies.

This is what we face in DC right now. Trump has decimated the leadership of multiple departments and agencies, leaving them floundering and removing all of the people he should be talking to before acting. The results may be unpredictable and negative, since he's working from ignorance and instinct.

[panader0]

1. The US doesn't even have an ambassador in S Korea. Yeeesh.....

[MineralMan]

8. Yes. Isn't that strange?

One of our allies and trading partners, but no Ambassador. How can that be? We have thousands of U.S. troops in Korea, but no Ambassador?

And so it goes, all around the world.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

19. Because he doesn't make a move without permission from puton or satan, one in the same

And, if he doesn't obey, grovel --el diablo will send fire and fury his way bigleague.

[Bradshaw3]

2. Not only is he ignorant but he thinks he is smart

That's a dangerous combination in a president.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. He never wanted to actually do the job of being President. He just thought it would look good

on his resume.

[catbyte]

17. It's tragically clear that he only enjoys running for president; he clearly hates being president,

hence all of his pathetic little Nuremberg-Lite campaign rallies. What President has ever kept campaigning to this degree AFTER he's won? It's sick. I think it's the only way he can validate himself. He needs the adoration of his cult in order for him to be able to tell himself that he's adored & universally loved. Nobody counts but his cult, and even they don't count except to massage his pathetic ego. I've never seen such a malignant narcissist, ever.

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. Which is why he filed for 2020 as soon as he was inaugurated.

Now, EVERYTHING can be a campaign rally! (Not to mention those nice 'n' juicy donations that'll conveniently wind up in TrumpCo's bank accounts.)

[Arkansas Granny]

24. Calling his adoring fans a cult is about right. Trump sees himself as a cult leader.

Have you seen this?

"We have two leaks," Trump said, according to a pool report. "You have the leaks coming out of intelligence and various departments having to do with Syria, having to do with all sorts of different places, having to do frankly with North Korea. And those are very serious. And then, you have the leaks where people want to love me, and they're all fighting for love. Those are little inner-White House leaks. They're not very important. But actually, I'm somewhat honored by them."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-says-hes-honored-by-white-house-leaks-that-show-staff-fighting-for-his-love/article/2631216

[catbyte]

29. Ugh...

[spanone]

3. trump has never had to work with or for others...

if he would have had to answer to a board of directors he would be homeless.

he trusts no one but trump.

[MineralMan]

13. True. He just likes giving orders.

[bronxiteforever]

5. You are absolutely correct. All of those career diplomats

And all their learning and contacts will be lost for the ego of a narcissistic sociopath.

[Girard442]

6. Now if we could just plant a bug in his ear...

...that he can't really trust the pilots of AF1. He should fly it. He's so smart, he could do it easily, better than anyone has ever done it before, right?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. I'm not sure it's even that - I think he's scared of incurring the ire

of his former BFF Putin, so whatever Putin does is just fine by him. Expelling diplomats is usually regarded as a serious affront, and any other president would have treated it as such. But Trump, after ignoring the expulsion for almost two weeks, finally had to address it - but to keep Pooty from getting all mad he had to come up with a reason why it really wasn't a bad thing. The only thing he could come up with is that the expulsion would reduce the payroll, which isn't even true; the expelled State Department employees are still on the government payroll and will be redeployed somewhere else. I doubt he even knew that, but in any event he couldn't think of any other reason why kicking out our diplomats was really a good deal for us.

[MineralMan]

12. I don't think Trump even knows what those State Dept. people

even do. There is so much he doesn't know. It's frightening.

[FreepFryer]

9. State will be back! This purge won't stand beyond his removal from office. (n/t)

[Mme. Defarge]

10. Bannon.

C'est tout.

[MineralMan]

11. Yup, pretty much, it seems.

Sad.

[Whiskeytide]

14. The State Department is - or was - perhaps ...

... the greatest thorn in the side of Putin, and the greatest barrier to his goals of reasserting Russian influence in the world. It has been the platform from which we manage our own influence and cultivate relationships with allies AND foes. It is the foreign policy arm of the Federal government.

It has been dismantled, I think, because that was part of the plan - the quo for the election interference quid. Your idea that he has razed it because he thinks he can do its job better is, surely, part of it, but I'm not sure he's capable of that degree of strategic, multi-level thought. Vlad, on the other hand ...

But I'm a paranoid, pointed headed librul - per all my conservative friends. So I could be wrong.

[Cosmocat]

16. No, you aren't

wrong ...

You are spot on.

[Martin Eden]

15. Excellent Post, MM

With all the salacious stories and latest outrages grabbing headlines what you noted flies under the radar, but it really is a very damaging consequence of this administration.

[Girard442]

18. I know some (more or less) Deplorables.

They may not be experts on political science, but they do seem to have some street smarts. I'm wondering how they're dealing with seeing their boy Trump act like a whipped puppy every time there's a Putin thing happening.

[MineralMan]

20. I don't know. They're awfully good at shrugging off things

they don't like, I'm afraid.

[Honeycombe8]

22. They don't see or hear that, if it's not on Fox during the 15 mins. of Prime Time they watch. nt

[Perseus]

23. I don't agree

He thanked Putin because he is afraid of saying anything that Putin may not like because I think Putin has a lot of information, proof, most probably videos of Trump doing the wrong things. I don't think Trump is able to contradict Putin because is is compromised.

[SeattleVet]

25. If tRump had any idea about what a lot of those Diplomatic Staffers actually did...

he'd be sitting in a corner, rapidly filling his Depends, and mumbling to himself more than usual.

He has no clue.

I really believe that he couldnt get a clue during the clue mating season in a field full of horny clues if he smeared his body with clue musk and did the clue mating dance.

What a waste of skin.

[Buns_of_Fire]

26. What is "diplomacy" but another way of saying "making a deal"?

And since the Big Rump is the World's Greatest Dealmaker, who needs 'em? Why, he can just call up the munchkin in North Korea and Make A Deal with him, right? Right?

[MineralMan]

27. Indeed, but it's a little different with nations

than with real estate stuff, I'm pretty sure.

[Doodley]

28. Trump is clearly infatuated with Putin, and would never criticize him. Even if

Putin kicked every American out of Russia, Trump would want to say it was a good thing.