160
Trump deepens the dustup with Italy's Meloni, who says his 'unprovoked attacks are senseless' (apnews.com)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/world@quokk.au
27 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 3 points 2 months ago (5 children)

To be fair, getting the best outcome for your citizens is usually achieved by sucking up to Trump with gifts.

It sucks but the reality is that he controls a lot of power and he absolutely will use it to punish millions of people if they don't fellate his ego sufficiently.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 10 child comments
    •
  • [–] 22 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Like fuck it is.

    All sucking up to trump achieves is making yourself more vulnerable to his next mood swing. The smart leaders have been scrambling to insulate themselves from the USA, not make themselves more dependent

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Sorry mate 6 months ago there was a parade of leaders handing over unique unobtainable gifts.

    Of course theyre also trying to strengthen alternative relationships but most leaders tried to avoid the worst of the tariffs by giving gifts to Trump.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 10 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    If you give an abuser what they want, they just realize their bullying works and will get worse. You have to be so much work for a narcissist that they believe it's not worth it and will turn their attention to easier targets.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 0 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    How exactly should a world leader be "too much work" for Trump?

    He will just slap a 20% tarif on your entire country because it amuses him.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    That's a good question. Good thing I'm not a world leader :S.

    Generally id assume it's as simple as just outmaneuvering with various other levers of power. You don't fight this narcissist directly, you make them irrelevant.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    I mean, China did it, and while one European country probably couldn't pull off what China did the whole EU absolutely could have.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    LOL.

    Did what exactly?

    Their products were taxed to fuck. They're just big enough and have enough control over constituents to ignore it.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    That's a different thing. During the tariffs debacle China was noteworthy for raising tariffs on American goods and restricting exports until Trump chickened out.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    Yes. However, they still ended up having their products taxed at a much higher rate than anyone else.

    They could just ignore it because they have a very large economy. The middle powers like Italy, England, Germany, and australia just couldnt play that game.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    However, they still ended up having their products taxed at a much higher rate than anyone else.

    Source? I only know about the EV tariffs, and those were coming anyway for other reasons.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    Sorry chief this is one of those things that's so universally observed and understood it's a bit ridiculous to ask for a source. The first search result says:

    Average US tariffs on Chinese exports now stand at 47.5 percent and cover 100 percent of all goods. China's average tariffs on US exports are at 31.9 percent and cover 100 percent of all goods. US tariffs have risen by 26.8 percentage points since the second Trump administration began on January 20, 2025. Chinese tariffs have risen by 10.7 percentage points over the same period.

    Average US tariffs on imports from China had increased to 127.2 percent in early May 2025, before later being reduced. The second Trump administration had reached those heights by increasing tariffs on imports from China through a number of different actions, not all of which were China-specific.

    https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2019/us-china-trade-war-tariffs-date-chart

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •