Comments on: Trump’s dealmaking style on the international front

By: neo

neo — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:18:29 +0000

BrooklynBoy:

Not only that, but everyone knows it who’s ever looked at the book, which cites both Trump and the other writer as authors. It’s not a secret. But Trump isn’t being praised for his literary style, which is what the other author lent. The ideas are Trump’s, and he’s demonstrated them in action during his life.

By: om

om — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:17:34 +0000

BrooklynBoy also chases The Great Orange Whale. Keeps him off the street and from playing in traffic I suppose.

By: BrooklynBoy

BrooklynBoy — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:52:47 +0000

You do know that Trump himself did not write “The Art of the Deal”?

By: R2L

R2L — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 02:19:54 +0000

There must be something to Trump’s negotiating style and practice that is superior to the usual courses you might take on negotiation.
Perhaps it includes
1) a much greater time and effort strategizing for a given opponent, and really laying the ground work to implement that strategy prior to any face to face or assistant to assistant level meetings.
2) a greater willingness to actually walk away, or to make moves that more firmly suggest a willingness to walk away. Part of just not being a universally “nice guy” may play into that, too. And the real or feigned “I am your friend when you are mine” bon homie that also is part of his public persona.
3) really focusing on the possible win-win options and trying to avoid any sense of a winner-loser situation, unless you have been disloyal or “unfair” in your dealings with him [e.g., Bolton, Comey, et al.].

Some of this is a repeat of the ideas provided by John Galt III on October 15, 2025 at 4:45 pm.

By: R2L

R2L — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 02:10:52 +0000

AesopFan on October 16, 2025 at 6:18 pm:
@ Neo > “You are incorrect on the numbers.” …
“That’s one of the reasons I like this comment section: we are all open to having our understanding of the facts corrected (our opinions, not so much….)”
But … but … that is the best evidence that we are not just all bots!! 🙂

indirectly related: From Blaze Media: https://www.theblaze.com/news/chinese-sim-farms-are-radicalizing-americans-and-destabilizing-society-intel-experts-say
Some here are probably more aware of this type of thing than most folks, including me. But now we really have to continually ask “is the commenter with whom I am “conversing” a real person or a CCP bot?”

By: AesopFan

AesopFan — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:18:28 +0000

@ Neo > “You are incorrect on the numbers.”

Thanks for once again doing the kind of fact-checking that the media seldom does, especially if the facts conflict with their narrative.
The Right-blogs are somewhat better at correcting their own errors, but not much.
That’s one of the reasons I like this comment section: we are all open to having our understanding of the facts corrected (our opinions, not so much….) 😉

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:42:36 +0000

Starving hostages for the greater glory of Islam…while clamoring (to a believing choir) that your enemies are starving you…seems to work pretty well in the current Through-the-Looking-Glass reality.

(To be sure we’ve already seen Erdogan claim—with great conviction if zero credibility—that Islam does not commit or condone massacres…and never has…)

“Hamas Offered Starving Hostages More Food If They Converted To Islam — And They Refused”—
https://blazingcatfur.ca/2025/10/16/hamas-offered-starving-hostages-more-food-if-they-converted-to-islam-and-they-refused/

By: Don

Don — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:46:38 +0000

betsybounds on October 16, 2025 at 6:35 am said:
Well I still think we need to remember that the pen-ultimate Palestinian/Arab/Muslim goal is Israel’s elimination; it is a part of their ultimate goal of imposing worldwide Islamic control. Accordingly, they are happy to take a temporary break under Donald Trump’s allegedly brilliant peace accord and use it to increase their own strength. They have, collectively, done that same thing numerous times before. And Trump is an obvious sucker for it.

This reflects a shallow understanding of events. There are actors in the Muslim world who fully understand the threat of Islam and who are trying to achieve moderation. MBS, for example. He has to be careful with his moves, and it matters how much he can count on the US president. He couldn’t count on Biden for much but Trump is a different story.

The Islamic world isn’t uniform. Making inroads with potential allies in the region makes sense.

By: Don

Don — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:41:25 +0000

Kate on October 16, 2025 at 7:15 am said:
Surrounding Muslim states recognize the corrosive effect of Hamas/Salafi/Brotherhood movements on their own states’ security. This is not entirely hudna on their part; it’s self-preservation.

Yes. Obama actually did (accidently) do some good with his Iran outreach, it helped push the Gulf states and Israel together, setting things up for Trump’s Abraham accords.

By: Don

Don — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:38:50 +0000

FOAF on October 15, 2025 at 10:58 pm said:
You are right, obviously, Don that Israel did most of the work but the US strikes on IRI nuclear facilities in June were an indispensable piece of the puzzle. Not only militarily but for making it clear where we stood as a nation. Needless to say that never would have happened under the Obama Gang aka US Democrat party.

Fully agree.