World of Politics with Harry McGee

Sounding off about Donald Trump in the Tribune leaves you open to the risk of putting yourself in the position of the editorial writer responsible for the most famous headline ever in Irish journalism.

“Watch out Tzar, the Skibbereen Eagle is watching you.”

But it’s important that everyone – no matter how big or small – responds to the disgusting scenes that unfolded in the Oval Room of the White House last Friday evening.

It reminded you of a scene from The Godfather where a supplicant goes in to plead with Vito Corleone and his sidekick and gets bullied and humiliated, because he did not show them enough ‘respect’.

The odious JD Vance jumped in to dress down Volodymyr Zelensky for not being sufficiently grateful in the most patronising and gaslighting way. This to a war president from a self-satisfied, bombastic ideologue.

Of course, Vance and Trump hardly mentioned the fact that Ukraine has endured three years of terrible war and slaughter at the hands of Russia. Trump actually defended Vladimir Putin, who is an actual dictator.

Everybody’s afraid of the US and Trump at the moment. Every leader in Europe jumped in to defend Ukraine and to tell Zelenskyy they supported him. But none has stood up to Trump and called him and Vance out for the bullying.

Vance actually came over to Berlin a few weeks ago and made a speech full of false tropes – in which his support for right-wing and anti-immigrant parties was made clear. Instead of being booed off the stage, none of the EU leaders challenged him.

Sure, the US is the most powerful country in the World and Trump is a very unconventional figure. Yes, he’s a businessman. Yes, he’s transactional. Yes, it’s all about the deal. Yes, his ego is about the size of Canada, Mexico and the US combined.

But why does everybody seem to have been browbeaten into submission by him? Nobody wants to call him out. Why? Why?

On so many levels, what he is proposing is absurd and yet people take that nonsense seriously.

Besides being completely ignorant of the history of the Middle East, his plan for Gaza is moronic.

His cosying up to Putin is nauseating.

His Gulf of America, Greenland and Canada stuff is also ludicrous. So is his provocation of the US’s closest ally Canada where he has said he will impose stringent 25% tariffs. He also wants it to be the 51st US State.

Pictured: Calm before the storm…Donald Trump welcomes Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House – before pummeling him in the Oval Office.