Below are the core elements of the most shameful, amoral and, astonishingly, victim-blaming statement to ever emerge from the once-exalted American presidency. Yesterday I speculated that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "foul behavior may be more critical to Trump's attraction [to him] than the (fake) $110 billion." I have faintly revised my opinion. I still believe Trump is attracted to MBS's foul behavior, but specifically, the prince's having murdered a journalist — an "enemy of the people" — is what has fascinated and exhilarated our pathetically unmanly president. MBS has rather flagrantly done what Trump wishes he could do; in short, he is living vicariously through the murderous prince, and in that sense, defending the prince is tantamount to defending himself.
Trump's statement, titled "The world is a very dangerous place!":
"The Kingdom [has] agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States [it won't]. This is a record amount of money [because Trump made it up]. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs [no], tremendous economic development [no], and much additional wealth for the United States [no]. Of the $450 billion, $110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and many other great U.S. defense contractors [even they don't agree with Trump's assessment]. If we foolishly cancel these contracts [at this time, there is virtually nothing to be cancelled], Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries….
"The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone … [but on the other hand] Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an 'enemy of the state' and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood [my emphasis]…. This is an unacceptable and horrible crime … [but, again, on the other hand] King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi…. It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t! [que sera sera]
"In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia [so shove it]….
"As President of the United States I intend to ensure that, in a very dangerous world, America is pursuing its national interests and vigorously contesting countries that wish to do us harm. Very simply it is called America First!"
[Addendum]
… which will make the world more dangerous by the year, as other nations pursue their own [------] First! policies.
What kept this planet from WW III for 70 years were U.S.-led alliances, diplomatic networks, and expanding global trade. America First! upsets precisely the international arrangements that promoted and maintained the peace, but I'm ending all that because my ignorant, testosterone-pumped base is psychologically damaged and thus positively adores my loud, equally ignorant mouth. We believe we can do to the world what I've always done closer to home: bully it. What we cannot comprehend — or just don't care about — is that China First! could easily dominate Asia and the Pacific Rim, and Russia First!, Eastern Europe. The world will become a tripolar or perhaps a multipolar farrago of pure, unadorned self-interest. And with that will come war.
Good night, and good luck.