Still dancing the Tariff Tango, Vlad and Bibi still playing him like a fiddle and Epstein's list must be written in invisible ink - Trump thread #146

[Spandauer]

Awa' a bile yer heid, ya greet orange jobbie.

(Virtual Placard for his upcoming visit to Scotland - others welcome)

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5357151-trumplethinskin-wants-his-situation-room-photo-because-it-most-definitely-rained-on-his-parade-trump-thread-145

Oh, well as the West Bank occupation is a model of peace and goodwill to all, what can go wrong! Is there room for a Trump Tower Ukraini/russki?!

Sounds exactly as expected. Hope its not so.

At this point I can’t tell whether this is serious or taking the piss.

Re the rumour that Vance is here for six weeks....It already feels that way. <sigh>

Why does Trump's administration choose to accuse the UK of not upholding human rights at the same time that their VP is holidaying in the UK? It just seems so rude and lacking in diplomacy.

Nooooo! Local BBC news says that Vance could be descended from a branch of the family who owned land at Menie! But that his Scottish ancestry claims are tenuous.

Already been discussed...

Post Witkoff's recce visit
(from WSJ)

Vance arriving quietly https://bsky.app/profile/mikegalsworthy.bsky.social/post/3lwcdbef3vs2x

Driving on the wrong side of the road

😬 I hadn’t noticed that!

Technically, wrongly driving on the right side of the road. 🚦

It wouldn’t be the first time the US had caused a diplomatic incident over driving on the wrong side of the road over here. Hopefully if they cause an accident anyone involved will get treated better than the family of Harry Dunn.

The music on that video is spot on though. PMSL at the immigrant invasion tag too.

I heard on LBC that the Vance goons were knocking on residents doors asking for their social media names etc. I expect them to be crass, ignorant, demanding and entitled but can someone assure me that this didn't happen? And if it did what happened when they were refused? Extraordinary rendition to be dealt with in Alligator Alcatraz?

Former US army/ govt guy was pointing out that Putin in terms of losses has lost as many soldiers in Ukraine as the USA did during the whole of ww2, and even more tanks

I read the book when it first came out, how many decades ago now? It is one of only three dystopian futuristic novels I have managed to read to the end (“Brave New World” and “1984” being the other two). It has stayed with me all this time, and as a result, I have been unable to watch the television adaptation which was released in parallel with Trump world. Too close to reality in the twenty-first century. In my worst nightmares 40 years ago, I never imagined it would come to this.

BBC seem to keep merrily going on about the ‘land swaps’ - but isn’t a swap when you get something, and give something of yours in return? Not when you take something by force and then it’s ‘swapped over’ from its original owner to you to keep forever?!

Ex head of MI6 (Alex Younger iirc) was on Today earlier.

Said witkoff is hopelessly out of his depth as a negotiator (he doesn't take notes and doesn't even use an interpreter),. Besides, they fundamentally don't realise that for Putin, it's not about land but about sovereignty.

Putin simply doesn't believe Ukraine should be able to make it's own decisions. I've seen it earlier likened to a jealous controlling ex being able to still walk into their former partners home and stop them forming new relationships. Also that EU et Al are assigning too much rationality to Putin.

There will be swapping of both Ukrainian and Russian land. Ukrainian land will be handed over to Russian and Russian land occupied by Ukraine will be handed over to Russia. See how it works, a very cunning plan. Both countries will have some of their land exchanged.

Ah, I see @MrTiddlesTheCat🫠

Witkoff hasn't a clue, I heard some narrative about him, and he really knows nothing. Us on this thread would know more.

He is a real estate investor and developer, he has no previous experience of foreign diplomatic relations.

He has re-tweeted a tweet saying this...
Steve Witkoff has no background in diplomacy but has turned out to be the most effective American diplomat in a generation.

Course he has.. 🤣

Exactly….if it’s a swap, which bit of Russia does Ukraine get???

Yes! Heads I win, tails you lose.

Two bullies getting together. What could possibly go wrong

🤣

“You can have back some of the land that we illegally took from you. That’s our ‘give’ in the ‘give & take’ equation.”

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