The Art of the Steal

What makes a good deal?

For the overwhelming majority of Americans, that question can take on a number of forms. First and foremost is that there is an equal and fair process for whatever the transaction might be. Whether its something as significant as purchasing a new car or something as trivial as purchasing a knickknack at a flea market, Americans want to ensure that there are clear and agreeable rules that both parties adhere to. In addition, there is also a desire that there are clear expectations about what will be exchanged. Are you buying just a car? Are you also buying a warranty? Is the title included? What type of taxes will there be? These are all legitimate questions that can and should be negotiated before any funds exchange hands. And lastly, there is the transaction itself. What verification exists, receipt or otherwise, that legitimizes the purchase?

Donald Trump's latest "deal" with Turkey fails all of these qualifiers. At his midday press conference today, Trump announced that Turkish sanctions would be lifted and that the United States would permanently cede the area formally controlled by the Kurds to Turkey. In exchange for lifting sanctions, Turkey would guarantee that the current temporary ceasefire would become "permanent" unless "something happens that we are not happy with."  Trump went on to clarify what "permanent" meany by saying, "you would define the word 'permanent' in that part of the world as somewhat questionable, we all understand that, but I do believe it will be permanent."

So, let's break this down, shall we?

Donald Trump wanted to make a deal with Turkey to get them to stop the invasion that Donald Trump himself had greenlit. To get them to the negotiating table, he imposed sanctions on Turkish steel and canceled negotiations on a $100 billion trade deal with the country. Nine days later, with the sanctions having no impact in such a short time and the stalled negotiations not meaning anything, Turkey agreed to Trump's "demand" that they no longer aggressively annex Syria land unless something bad happens. And by "bad" we mean whatever Turkey takes it to mean. Oh, and by the way, the timeline for this truce is indefinite, unless of course, if something happens that makes it definite.

So. Much. Winning.

The truth is that Donald Trump, expert negotiator, got fleeced worse than someone giving all their financial information to a Nigerian Prince. Trump not only gave away Syria to Bashar Al-Assar and, by proxy, Vladimir Putin, but Trump also managed to singlehandedly destroy America's reputation in the world by signifying that our sacred word is no longer our bond. Trump turned his back on the Kurds, our most trusted allies in the area, and his decision has singlehandedly destabilized the region with hundreds of ISIS terrorists now free and starting to mobilize. The "deal" that Donald Trump struck benefitted his dictator friends and nobody else. He gave Vladimir Putin the greatest belated birthday gift he could ever ask for and it did it all via an unprepared, uneducated, and unpatriotic decision that will have a profound impact on American foreign policy for a generation to come.

As horrified as we are, we should not be surprised. This is who Donald Trump is. He only does deals for himself and his friends. In this case, Trump was won over via a Sunday night phone call with his friend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We don't know what was said on the call, but there can be no doubt it involved flattery and some sort of deal with the Turkish president. After all, Donald Trump never does a single thing without looking out for himself and in this case, the fact it was something that also appealed to Vladimir Putin was obviously a key selling point. In making this "deal" Trump clearly got something in return and whatever that was had nothing to do with current American foreign policy aims and goals, the critical relationship with our Kurdish allies, and America's standing on the world stage as a trustworthy friend and partner.

Donald Trump sees the presidency as an extension of his own personal business and because of that, he will continue to act as such. There is no loyalty, there is only the deal and it is the current deal that takes precedence over any and all previous relationships. It's why Trump has screwed over dozens of contractors, because once the work is done he would rather force them to go bankrupt in court attempting to sue him rather than paying them for their promised services. Trump inhabits a world where there are "his guys" and there is everybody else. We've seen it now on the world stage where "his guys" are murderous dictators like Kim Jong Un, Bashar Al-Assad, and Vladimir Putin and Trump will continuously engage in bad deals for America that end up being good deals for his friends. It's why he refuses to sanction North Korea for their repeated missile launches and Russia for their repeated targeting of American voters. We are living in a world where for the first time in our nation's history, we have the commander-in-chief looking out for his own interests rather than those of the American people.

Let us never again elected a failed, vindictive businessman to the highest office in the land.