China Called Trump’s Bluff
"There is a lesson here for anyone Trump threatens.
Trump is performing a character, the presidential version of the boss he played in The Apprentice, sitting in a plush leather chair doling out justice to quavering supplicants.
Although Trump instructs his targets to submit, doing so merely sets them up for more humiliation and abuse.
Similarly, after Canadians elected Mark Carney as prime minister and he insisted that his country could never be purchased or taken, Trump responded with a friendly Oval Office meeting in which he seemed to accept Carney’s refusal.
Trump is a classic bully who craves submission and fears conflict. His fervent supporters want him to be Michael Corleone, but he’s more like Biff Tannen. Standing up to Trump does not mean that you win. But giving in guarantees that you lose."
#USA #Trump #Cdnpoli #Canada #Tariff
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/05/china-tariffs-trump/682776/