OPINION
PAGE 8 JANUARY 30, 2017 MONDAY
CATHRYN EDWARDS/ DAILY TITAN
President Donald Trump needs to start handling his public profiles with more responsibility now that his words travel further than most. Trump’s consistent tweets and irresponsible comments have caused tension with more than one foreign government official.
Trump misuses his power to pontificate and judge.
ASHLYN RAMIREZ Daily Titan Donald Trump’s recent comments to German newspaper Bild about NATO being “obsolete” draw concern as it’s evident that Trump
doesn’t understand the significance of his words. While his criticism holds some weight as only five of the 28 countries are paying their dues, according to CNBC, the real problem lies in the way that this sentiment was irresponsibly blurted out. Trump’s lack of professionalism in his dialogue is further realized when British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed in a joint press conference on Jan. 27 that Trump would be, “100 percent behind NATO,” contrary to his criticisms a week prior. The comment, along with his infamous Twitter dialogues, are clear indicators
that Trump needs a crash course on the decorum required to be a world leader. His transition from celebrity to leader of the free world needs to be significantly smoother. Another testament to Trump’s ineptitude in representing himself to the world is his interaction with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto concerning the American border wall, which he promised Mexico would pay for during his campaign. Nieto canceled the meeting with Trump via Twitter after Trump tweeted: “If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”
Nieto said in a video released Wednesday that “Mexico offers and demands respect.” Trump seriously needs to watch how he handles foreign relationships. He can no longer yell “you’re fired” to those who oppose him. Trump’s nonchalant, dangerous rhetoric sets the stones for seriously rocky foreign relations over the next four years, with one exception. Senior officials in the Russian government celebrated Trump’s win as a geopolitical win for Moscow, according to an interception by American intelligence agencies as reported by the Washington Post. There still might be a
sliver of hope for Americans. Trump’s newly elected Secretary of Defense Gen. James S. Mattis thankfully does not agree with the president’s views on NATO. Mattis has openly been an advocate for NATO, citing its importance in his senate confirmation hearing after being questioned on the validity of Trump’s comments. “I have had discussions with him on this issue,” Mattis said at the hearing. “He has shown himself open, even to the point of asking more questions, going deeper into the issue.” With this in mind, Mattis is the best bet for getting through to Trump as he’s the
closest to him. Mattis needs to assist the president in understanding the effect of his words. Clearly, being reprimanded by world leaders isn’t working. Trump needs to make the transition from celebrity to world leader fast. The man has always said and will continue to say that he’s not a politician–but he is one now. The first thing that needs to be done is to severely change his tweeting habits. The president should be held to the same social media mores and expectations of professionalism that everybody else is. This is, after all, the person who is representing America to the rest of the world.
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