A quick add-on on foreign policy: I feel the years of Trumpism have made us forget how foreign policy works. Under Trump the facade was all about whom he likes. Friends or enemies. Black or white. And that became the focus of reporting. That's not normal. /1
Take the Obama presidency: When Obama was running in 2008 Angela Merkel refused to let him speak at the Brandenburg gate and let the site be used as background for electioneering. And yet - Obama worked with her in the interest of the USA. And things changed. /2
Or take Merkel: When her phone calls with Trump became unbearable she did not start leaking stuff to embarrass Trump. She limited access to her phone calls to not put German-US relations at risk. /3
In fact, this is not just foreign policy. It is politics altogether. Consider Ted Cruz: Trump curiously claimed that his father was somehow linked to the JFK murder. And yet Ted put his personal feelings on ice to work with Trump. Strangely he still does. /4
Biden might not be an ideological ally of Brexit. Or like Johnson. But Biden will not put his personal dislike ahead of the interests of the USA. /5
Does that mean that a US-UK FTA is his priority No. 1? Of course not. Why should it be? The US is in a pandemic. Domestic politics is a catastrophe. Of course he has other priorities right now. /6
But let's also be honest for a moment: Trump might have waxed lyrical about Brexit. But was a US-UK FTA HIS priority? Seems to me he was focusing on China, Canada, Mexico.
Yes. Face it. He might not have been totally sincere when he spoke about a UK-US FTA. A shocker. Right?
Yes. Face it. He might not have been totally sincere when he spoke about a UK-US FTA. A shocker. Right?
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