Donald Trump is a paper tiger, all bark and no bite
Donald Trump’s empty threats are piling up and the pattern of behaviour is becoming all too clear for America’s biggest rivals and enemies.
Andrew Bolt
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Uh, oh. Turns out Donald Trump is just a paper tiger, all bark and no bite, and America’s enemies know it.
The difference between the US president’s threats and his actions is now startlingly clear.
On February 10, Trump threatened the Hamas terrorists holding scores of Jewish hostages: “If all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock … all bets are off and let hell break out.”
Hamas refused, and Trump did nothing.
The Washington Post now even quotes an anonymous source saying Trump’s team has told Israel Trump will “abandon” it if it doesn’t end the war it’s fighting in Gaza to release the final 58 hostages.
On March 15, Trump ordered the bombing of Houthi extremists to stop them attacking “American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones”, and said the US “will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”
Yet two weeks ago Trump scrapped the bombing after the Houthis agreed to stop attacking US ships, but not the ships of other countries.
It would also keep attacking Israel.
The objective hadn’t been achieved.
On March 30, Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it didn’t agree to end its nuclear program: “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
But Iran still won’t give up its nuclear plans, and Trump hasn’t bombed it. He’s even reportedly stopped Israel from taking out Iran’s nuclear sites.
Or take Trump’s threat six weeks ago to Russia if it didn’t agree to a ceasefire.
Trump said: “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault …. I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia.”
Another empty threat – so far.
Putin has since repeatedly refused to agree to Trump’s ceasefire, even in his two-hour phone call with Trump on Monday, held the day after Russia unleashed its biggest drone attack on Ukraine.
Yet Trump still claims Putin wants peace, not war: “I do believe he wants to end it.”
On it goes.
Two weeks ago Trump said he wouldn’t cut his 145 per cent tariff on Chinese imports to get China to negotiate a better trade deal.
Five days later he did.
This is an unmistakeable pattern, repeated against America’s biggest rivals and enemies.
Does anyone seriously think they haven’t noticed?
Originally published as Donald Trump is a paper tiger, all bark and no bite
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