Though he did bomb Syria and is currently threatening Canada, Greenland, and Panama plus he's just sent a load of weapons to Israel, so I'm not sure pacifist is the right word.
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I agree Aveek, Trump's interest in Tactical nukes worries me. They're the 'perfect' Bond Villain weapon and I imagine Trump thinks that he can use them the same way.
Yeah, the replies in this thread that don't reckon with this are baffling.
"Donald Trump - who speculated publicly about nuking hurricanes - is terrified of nuclear war" - what kind of unserious clown actually believes this? These are not credible people; they all deserve to be ignored/mocked.
You just explained what confused me: the violence of his reaction to Zelensky saying he would feel the same if his country was attacked.
It was hysterical (in the traditional meaning).
He's also threatening military intervention in Mexico. It's entirely wrong. The kind of thing stupid and ignorant people say about Trump when they want to sound savvy.
I reckon he’s more cowardly and squeamish but completely amoral, so violence is OK in principle but needs to be where he can’t see it and it mustn’t bring any unwanted responsibilities.
also he assassinated a pretty high ranking Iranian military commander in a third sovereign country without even apparently bothering to inform that government but yes, man of peace!
Quite. A personal fear of violence does not equate with 'dovishness'. Trump is a bully who wants to visit violence on others, but is afraid of it personally affecting him. It's not peace he wants, it's subjugation. Ditto Netanyahu and Palestine, Putin and Ukraine. Obey, obey, obey.
hes not a pacifist and this lie needs to be put to rest. Its crazy how when you describe how shitty trump is it sounds like you're exaggerating but tfg is that bad
Yeah I don't think this stands up at all. Massively escalated drone strikes on Somalia and air strikes in Afghanistan. He signed off on the killing of Qasem Soleimani, despite the real risk of escalation with Iran. Trump is an isolationist and that is a long standing thing. He's not a pacifist
Precisely. It explains why he's so terrified of sharks. You can only ever encounter them on their territory and you can't bully them because they've got hundreds of massive, sharp teeth that'll take your leg off in a flash.
I think he's genuinely an isolationist and doesn't want Americans fighting overseas or America meddling in wars far away from home. I don't think it's pacifism at all
A war gives the generals so much power. It takes it away from him. He wants weak generals fighting for his attention, not fighting actual wars (that he knows usually tank a politicians ratings).
He is quite clearly rooted in the old alleged Bismarck line that "the United States is bordered by weak neighbours to the north and south, and to the east and west by fish"
He is clearly a horror but surely his dodging the draft to avoid being part of a war of aggression should be celebrated as a small act of resistance?
The Vietnam war is surely an example of what the US prosecutors at Nuremberg would term, “the supreme international crime.”
Surely motivation matters. He wasn't dodging the draft to avoid being in a 'war of aggression'; he dodged the draft because he's a coward, he thinks exercising shortens one's life, and he wouldn't be caught dead doing anything that could be called "serving".
I think he does not like situations which will soon go outside of his control.
In litigation he avoids where possible his cases going before a judge. In war perhaps he does not want generals and others making decisions he cannot control?
Small discrete violence ok, but nothing that will spread.
It’s probably also that he has an extremely transactional mentality. War takes a lot of financial investment and offers little return. In his eyes, a very bad investment.
Invading Greenland makes sense to him as it has assets and resources he can monetise. Like a hostile business takeover.
If he had a way of making money out of war, he would be the ultimate war-monger. I suspect if Ukraine had beachfront access like Gaza, he would be more interested
Indeed. With a side serving of benefit to his close family, and a grind or two of those condiments who bend the knee and who might benefit him in future.
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If he is actually “afraid” of nuclear war that… literally doesn’t matter.
He lacks an understanding of deterrence and is liable to rando nuke somewhere/thing.
He’s not rational
"Donald Trump - who speculated publicly about nuking hurricanes - is terrified of nuclear war" - what kind of unserious clown actually believes this? These are not credible people; they all deserve to be ignored/mocked.
It was hysterical (in the traditional meaning).
He doesn’t seem to see Russia or China as adversaries, nor does it appear he wants to.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-discussed-using-nuclear-weapon-north-korea-2017-blaming-someone-rcna65120
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/14/donald-trumps-not-anti-war-just-wants-u-s-military-focus-stealing-oil/
But he won't use hard power if he's not making money out of it. If there were rare earths in Afghanistan he would not have withdrawn.
And the idea it amounts to pacifism is laughable.
The Vietnam war is surely an example of what the US prosecutors at Nuremberg would term, “the supreme international crime.”
In litigation he avoids where possible his cases going before a judge. In war perhaps he does not want generals and others making decisions he cannot control?
Small discrete violence ok, but nothing that will spread.
Invading Greenland makes sense to him as it has assets and resources he can monetise. Like a hostile business takeover.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/16/trump-war-military-syria-yemen-iraq-islamic-state/
Also Trump: I no longer want to supply the world with dollars.
😬
The Black Sea access is a major geopolitical Russian aim, but they literally advertised the Crimea beaches to Russian settlers.
https://www.rferl.org/a/crimean-peninsula-coveted-by-russia-and-ukraine/33085353.html
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2019/5/8/18619206/under-donald-trump-drone-strikes-far-exceed-obama-s-numbers
He cares about himself. That’s all.