Summary
Despite claiming countries are “dying to make a deal,” Trump has left multiple world leaders waiting for tariff talks, Politico reported.
Officials from the Philippines and the U.K. said requests for meetings have gone unanswered, while others described Trump aides as unresponsive.
Trump mocked foreign leaders during a GOP fundraiser, impersonating them pleading for deals.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted phones are “ringing off the hook,” but failed to explain the communication gap, fueling criticism over the administration’s diplomatic failures amid escalating global trade tensions.
I think it’s giving Trump too much credit to say this is intentional.
This is what it’s like with an authoritarian leader surrounded by yes-men. Nobody is autonomous, everyone just sits and waits for a decree to take any action. Nobody will return these calls because there’s no consistent policy to communicate.
It’s completely ineffective and inefficient, and that’s fine for Trump because he truly doesn’t care about anything actually working, or losing opportunities for the country, or losing allies. It’s just about the level of control he has, and whether he personally is being deferred to.