God, the Trump administration really knows how to piss people off. And it's not just Trump himself, but those who are hanging on his coat-tails seem to think they also have a God-given right to hector, berate, cajole and generally come over all smug, supercilious and disdainful.
The latest of many such examples is Vice President J D Vance's speech to the European Union at the Munich Security Conference. Accusing European governments of retreating from their core values and ignoring voter concerns about immigration and free speech, Vance's address was met with a disbelieving silence. Yes, this was the Trump administration lecturing Europe about the state of their democracy! Later, many delegates were much louder in their condemnation (except Germany's fascist AfD party, which thought the speech was "excellent").
It's not just that he failed to read the room; he made no attempt to read the room. Trump and those he sends out to spread his ill-advised gospel are so arrogant, so cocksure, that they don't think twice about saying whatever the hell they want. International diplomacy has given way to bullying and intimidation.
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