Friends In Low Places

Donald Trump has a thing for fascists, strongmen, bullies, and just all-around terrible people. He gets hot flashes over Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. He calls Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him on his recent power grab. He held a reception for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt who gained power through a coup. He said he’d be “honored to meet with Kim Jong Un.” In the past Trump has even praised Saddam Hussein. Now he’s invited an admitted killer, Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte to the White House. This is almost as bad as the time he let Sarah Palin, Kid Rock, and Ted Nugent in to use the plumbing.

Trump is set to talk to Putin tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be a gushing phone call and will go very well as Trump only hangs up on leaders of Democratic nations, like Australia. Trump can’t bring himself to say anything negative about Putin. Stifle liberty and expand oppression? Just fine. Invade a neighboring nation? Hunky dory. Eliminate press freedoms and prosecute journalists and girl punk bands? Sure why not? Assassinate political enemies and critics? Interesting. Hack into Trump’s political opponent and meddle in U.S. elections to destroy confidence in our system and install a racist, narcissistic, unqualified Cheeto potentate into the Oval Office? Fake news!

Erdogan just made a power grab with some shady election tactics of his own. The man has also imprisoned journalists. Trump probably admires such tactics as he’s talking about changing our nation’s libel laws so newspapers will stop pointing out when he’s a hypocrite, lying, breaking campaign promises, lying, engaging in nepotism, lying, flouting conflicts of interest, lying, golfing too much, or when he’s lying. Did I mention lying? Of course changing our libel laws means changing the Constitution. It’s funny how these self-described “Constitutionalists” are so protective over that Second Amendment thing, but the rest of those amendments, meh.

Trump has hosted Egypt’s el-Sisi at the White House, who was previously barred during President Obama’s term for staging a coup and arresting thousands of political dissidents.

It got weird when Trump said he’s willing to meet with Jong Un under the right circumstances. That means there has to be chocolate cake and meatloaf. Speaking of tasty treats, he said Jong Un is a “smart cookie” for being a young man who has held onto power. You know, by killing people like his Uncle. Congratulations! Perhaps the two can have a sleep over and exchange hair tips.

Rodrigo Duterte is a fine piece of work. He really takes the cake. This is a man who as mayor allowed death squads to roam his city and kill freely for two decades. Their targets were drug users and low-level criminals, though they often also hit bystanders, children, and political opponents.

After his election to the presidency Duterte took his killing nationwide by allowing police and vigilantes to kill at their leisure. The man has even boasted about personally murdering three kidnappers who were denied a trial.

It’s become so bad that a Filipino lawyer has asked the International Criminal Court to charge Mr. Duterte and 11 officials with mass murder and crimes against humanity over the extrajudicial killings of nearly 10,000 people over the past three decades.

On top of all that, Duterte called Obama the “son of a whore” because he didn’t like our former president criticizing his murder spree, which also includes journalists. It’s also frightening that Trump has praised Duterte’s high approval ratings.

He won’t have to worry about receiving that sort of criticism from Trump because our new president enjoys hanging around despicable people. Have you seen Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller? These are the kind of guys who would have to use someone else’s photo if they were to join Match.com. Icky individuals needs love too. Maybe there’s a dating site called ClammyLove.com.

Donald Trump is giving legitimacy to wretched regimes of the likes of Duterte, el-Sisi, Putin, Erdogan, Jong Un, and Andrew Jackson. It’s a shame that we have a president with low standards for so many things.

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