100 days of Donald Trump in office: When loose talk, goof ups strained US ties with allies

Donald Trump seemed to be controversy’s favourite child in his first 100 days as President of United States. The President’s trouble with following diplomatic protocols and niceties were in full public glare. Even before he was inaugurated, Trump evoked sharp reactions when he spoke to the Taiwanese president over the phone, which threatened to spoil US’ diplomatic relations with China.

Here are a few instances which clearly showed that being diplomatic is not Trump’s cup of tea:

Trump’s “man-child moment”

Germany is US’ biggest ally in Europe after the United Kingdom. A lot was being expected from the meeting between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, what ultimately happened during the 17 March meeting was nothing short of a diplomatic disaster. Miffed over issues ranging from Nato to immigration, Trump showed his displeasure with Merkel by refusing to shake hands in front of the international media.

Blasting Australian Prime Minister on Twitter

Just days after he took over as president, Trump spoke to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over the phone. However, it seems he was in a really bad mood as he blasted Turnbull over a refugee deal which was signed by Barack Obama. He is also reported to have called his 25-minute long call his worst ever till then. Things however reached a new low when Trump — staying true to his character — took to his favourite medium Twitter to rant over the “dumb deal”.

Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

Bad Hombres jibe That Mexico and US are not always on good terms is known — courtesy: illegal immigration and US’ percieved big daddy attitude towards its southern neighbour. Trump’s first phone call with Mexican president Enrique Pena Neito only strengthened this notion. According to reports, Trump is said to have issued a veiled threat of sending troops to take care of ‘bad hombres’ — a racial slur on Mexicans. Clearly, old habits die hard!

Confusing Sehwan with Sweden

Donald Trump’s tryst with gaffes nearly threatened to snap ties with a friendly European nation. On 19 February, he referred to a “terror attack” in Sweden, which actually never happened . Speaking to a gathering in Florida, Trump referred to the “attack” in Sweden to justify his policy on curbing immigration to the United States.

Media reports later stated that Trump might have confused himself with another attack which took place in Pakistan’s Sehwan, which killed over 80 people. His confusion could have potentially created diplomatic tensions between Washington DC and Stockholm. However, The White House, sensing the blunder, went into an overdrive to clarify that Trump’s statement referred to the “rising crimes” by immigrants in Sweden.

These are just few instances. Nevertheless, looking at Trump’s penchant for loose talk, we may be in for some more goof ups by “The Donald” in future.

With inputs from agencies