Question: What happens if Trump doesn't leave?

[Valmy]

I know I'm laughing and I voted for Egg McMuffin(no cheese)

It is good we can make you smile before Trump nukes Normandy.

[CountDeMoney]

I know I'm laughing and I voted for Egg McMuffin(no cheese)

It is good we can make you smile before Trump nukes Normandy.

French bias!  So sad!

[Valmy]

French bias!  So sad!

[Ed Anger]

I have a sad now.

[The Minsky Moment]

The French did not listen when I said they had to make Le Bic President.  Also they didn't make Nigel Farage ambassador even though he has a French name.  From now on every American beverage will be called "champagne". 

[CountDeMoney]

@TehRealDonaldTrump
3:43am

We must stop French and Italian Islamic lawlessness @FlorenceAndNormandy
More stop and frisk! #LAPD

[LaCroix]

In the aftermath of WW2, Americans learned 2 lessons.  First, that easy toleration of "trains run on time"-style authoritarianism was dangerous.  Second, that in an international system with a dominant power, it is in the self-interest of the dominant power to spend resources to bolster weaker powers, whether directly (like the Marshall Plan) or indirectly (through security guarantees, tolerance of undervalued D-Mark, etc).  We didn't always keep the the first lesson (thanks Jeanne Kikpatrick and Dulles Bros) although ultimately Reagan made that fully bipartisan; the second element stayed intact and bipartisan through the Cold War and well beyond.

We are now in our third generation since the war and the lessons are being forgotten.  One of the most incredible things for me personally about the last election cycle was Trump's adoption of the "America First" name, a late 30s era organization tainted by pro-German leanings and outright infiltration by Nazi agents.  When Pat Buchanan used the name in connection with his 2000 Presidential run, running on a platform eerily similar to Trump's, he was widely derided, and got less than 1% of the vote.  Times are different now.

As for America's international role, Trump's break is a watershed.  For the first time, America has a Commander in Chief that views the nation's alliance system in purely transactional terms.  It's possible the Artful Dealer will extract some marginal economic concessions from the likes of Japan or South Korea.  But at what cost? There's historical precedent here - there are various reasons why the Athenians lost the Peloponnesian war so catastrophically but one contributor was the transactional nature of their empire.  Athens had fine rhetoric about fellowship between democracies and their protective embrace, but in reality they ran their alliance system in a Trumpian, imperial fashion, using their dominant position to extract large contributions and bully their "allies" politically.  It worked for a time; Athens was able to fund lavish building programs while challenging the Spartans for hegemony, but it all ended in tears.  The "allies" came to see little benefit in the Athenian system, and Athens increasingly bore the heavy and increasing burden of the war on its own. 

Anyway, WW2 is quickly retreating into history non-memory, hanging on on a pastiche half-life of Hollywoodization and video game tropes.  The blood sacrifice gave us 70 years of wisdom.  But no more.

how long did the relationship last?

I think a lot of americans, including people close to trump, still appreciate the importance of our allies, even if he doesn't.

[CountDeMoney]

I think a lot of americans, including people close to trump, still appreciate the importance of our allies, even if he doesn't.

I think you're going to be disappointed with the people close to Trump.

[Ed Anger]

@TehRealDonaldTrump
3:43am

We must stop French and Italian Islamic lawlessness @FlorenceAndNormandy
More stop and frisk! #LAPD

I laughed.

[11B4V]

I think a lot of americans, including people close to trump, still appreciate the importance of our allies, even if he doesn't.

I think you're going to be disappointed with the people close to Trump.

His inaugural buy in. His exbankers and billionaire cronies for cab picks. Draining the swamp alright.

[grumbler]

I think a lot of americans, including people close to trump, still appreciate the importance of our allies, even if he doesn't.

I think you're going to be disappointed with the people close to Trump.

Yeah, I don't think you get close to Trump by telling him unpleasant truths.  His will be the post-truth presidency.  It's back to Andrew Jackson days.

[11B4V]

I have a sad now.

Eh, they smell of wine and turnips anyhow. No great loss.

[Ed Anger]

 

[Berkut]

I think a lot of americans, including people close to trump, still appreciate the importance of our allies, even if he doesn't.

I think you're going to be disappointed with the people close to Trump.

Well. Seedy sure as hell nailed this, didn't he?

[Sophie Scholl]

Ed and Seedy posts.