It’s been a busy week on the foreign policy front for Dotard-in-Chief Donald Trump. He’s met with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And in each instance, he managed to humiliate himself and open the United States up to international ridicule.
Ironically, Trump managed to prove his weakness as a leader when both Macron and Starmer used one tactic to shut him down and correct him when he began lying about the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in February 2022 when Russian dictator Vladimir Putin invaded his neighbor.
As MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell noted Thursday evening on “The Last Word,” the tactic is what he calls the “humiliation touch.”
The touch was used first by Macron, when Trump suggested the French were getting reimbursed for some of the aid they’ve provided to Ukraine.
“During their joint Oval Office appearance on Monday, Macron interrupted Trump when the latter said that Europe was being paid back 60% of the aid it contributed to Kyiv over the last three years of war,” ABC News reported.
“Touching Trump’s arm to interject, Macron said, ‘No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort: it was through, like the U.S., loans, guarantees, grants,’ Macron said. ‘And we provided real money, to be clear.'”
“After Macron’s comments, Trump smiled and replied, ‘If you believe that, it’s okay with me.'”
“Three days later, Donald Trump walked into exactly the same humiliation trap in the Oval Office,” O’Donnell continued.
“’We don’t get the money back,’ Trump added, before blaming former President Joe Biden for not giving military aid in the form of a loan. “’We’re not getting all of [our aid back],’ Starmer told Trump, adding: ‘Quite a bit of ours was given, was gifted.'”
O’Donnell: “Did you see that, that left hand? That’s the interruption hand that the French president used. The British prime minister’s left hand goes toward Donald Trump.”
Later in the segment, O’Donnell explained that the “humiliation touch” probably had no effect on Trump.
“There is a kind of person whose humiliation reflex simply doesn’t work. That might be what’s going on with Donald Trump.”
Others, however, see the touch and know what it conveys.
“The world sees it as humiliating to Donald Trump.”
The humiliation touch is the sort of thing you’d use to correct a child who misspeaks or says something inappropriate. And that’s perfect, because Donald Trump is the most immature person to ever serve as president of the United States.
