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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBREAKING: Trump is Now "DEMANDING" Former Allies Help With Operation Epstein Fury In Iran
This morning on CNNs State of the Union, UN Ambassador Mike Waltz delivered one of the more delusional sentences uttered by a Trump official in recent memory which, given the competition, is genuinely impressive.
President Trump is calling upon the world, saying the entire world is affected. Iran cant hold your economies hostage, and we certainly welcome, encourage and even demand their participation to help their own economies.
The same administration that spent the last year calling Europe pathetic, threatening to annex Canada, tariffing allies into recession, pulling out of every multilateral agreement it could find, publicly humiliating NATO partners, and treating the rules-based international order like a suggestion box is now demanding those same countries help escort ships through a strait thats only closed because Trump and Netanyahu started a war nobody asked for.
This is the geopolitical equivalent of burning your neighbours fence down and then demanding they help you with the insurance claim.
My Dad, Jimmy Blundell, who once advised me to never beat the horses you need to help you win the race, comes to mind.
https://deanblundell.substack.com/p/breaking-trump-is-now-demanding-former
Response to ribrepin (Original post)
dalton99a This message was self-deleted by its author.
Roy Rolling
(7,607 posts)Im an American, not a Trump American. Not a MAGA American.
Im not asking Americas traditional allies to be fools like Trumps MAGA AmericaMAGAts dont speak for me.
Thank you Australia for the supportive fuck you to the problem child causing the whole worlds suffering.
ribrepin
(1,897 posts)I don't expect them too. My son a three-time Trump voter actually called and said he couldn't believe he voted for him 3 times. I'm finding out now that war is a big issue for him and Trump made promises.
BlueMTexpat
(15,682 posts)by scaling back diplomacy and foreign assistance, alienating our closest allies, and destroying the international networks and relationshipy that the US spent decades building after WWII.
By surrounding himself with none but incompetent and servile minions, along with RRW xtofascists, he is also screwing the American people and endangering the world.
NO PITY!! NONE!!!
I am STILL MOST ANGRY with ANYONE who voted for this POS or who enabled either of his "elections" in 2016 and 2024:
enid602
(9,650 posts)I read your op as operation Einstein, not operation Epstein. Kinda works.
ribrepin
(1,897 posts)It was written by a guy named Dean Blundell on substack. He's a Canadian and I like the way he turns a phrase. You're right about "Operation Einstein" as in Operation Einstein - what a bunch of geniuses.
no_hypocrisy
(54,821 posts)democrank
(12,540 posts)What is Trump .king?
modrepub
(4,078 posts)The international community must get commerce flowing again on the Gulf. Its how they accomplish that thats the question.
Either its a US based construction where all interested parties join together and confront the Iranians. Or a China-India-Russian aligned one that seeks cooperation with Iran while excluding those countries aligned with the US.
The second option seems far fetched in my mind because its not clear if Iran could be that discerning with its attacks given how degraded its military is at making centralized decisions. But if this option can be pulled off and the US and Israel are isolated then the folks who have to make had choices are the Gulf States and Europe.
And Ill note not only are world oil prices spiking so are the US 10-year bond rates. The later is an indication confidence in our ability to finance our debt is taking a hit.
2naSalit
(102,221 posts)Skittles
(171,331 posts)these incompetent assholes cannot keep their stories straight
tanyev
(49,166 posts)Sorry, Sir Jackass.
😒
Johnny2X2X
(24,114 posts)And Trump is going to use this to hurt NATO. He's going to make this seem like NATO has an obligation to help under Article 5, but they don't, we weren't attacked here, we attacked. As usual, Russia is the big winner in all of this, their oil is now being sold to fund the Ukraine war, and NATO will be weakened further at their request.
C_U_L8R
(49,308 posts)I suspect they said some variation of such.
LetMyPeopleVote
(178,988 posts)Last edited Mon Mar 16, 2026, 01:37 PM - Edit history (1)
Foreign countries havent exactly rushed to answer the American presidents call for assistance. Imagine that.
So to sum up:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-16T13:42:17.264Z
1. Trump alienates/insults allies
2. he launches an unnecessary war with no international legitimacy
3. he declares war âover,â dismisses need for alliesâ help
4. he sees the war go sideways
5. he âdemandsâ allies help us solve a problem he said doesnât exist
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/after-alienating-allies-and-declaring-victory-trump-demands-foreign-help-in-war
The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, the American president wrote. Thats OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we dont need them any longer But we will remember. We dont need people that join Wars after weve already won!...
After claiming in an NBC News interview that unnamed countries had already committed to helping secure the strait a dubious assertion, given the circumstances and available information the Republican demanded that foreign nations step up and provide the U.S. with the kind of security assistance he recently said was unnecessary.
Trump on Strait of Hormuz: "Really, I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory ... they should help us. You could make the case that maybe we shouldn't be there at all, because we don't need it. We have a lot of oil."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-16T01:05:29.715Z
.....Indeed, the series of events seems preposterous. After spending the last year alienating U.S. allies, Trump launched an unnecessary war with no international legitimacy. He then prematurely declared victory, while simultaneously dismissing the need for international assistance, all while characterizing the Strait of Hormuz as a problem thats already been solved.
It was at this point that the same American president, without explanation, turned on a dime and started demanding assistance from the same countries hes insulted to address a problem hes claimed doesnt exist.
Foreign countries havent exactly rushed to answer Trumps call for help, and Australian and Chinese officials have already rejected U.S. outreach. Imagine that.
City Lights
(25,728 posts)Tree Lady
(13,247 posts)Without Trump, and with this I can see them saying in secret, this can be our way to take him down, everyone refuse to help him and this sinks his presidency.
Takket
(23,675 posts)The rest of the world is telling him to go fuck himself. Why doesnt Kegseth and his warriors ethos figure this out if he is so smart???