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A Fish Rots From the Head
Donald John Trump has no need for diplomats. He has told us so many times.
Part of the reason might be envy. Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State, a post requiring knowledge and skills that Mr. Trump does not possess.
But it might be more productive to take him at his word. He does not, he tells us, need anybody to speak for him. He understands no distinction between speaking for the United States and speaking for Donald J. Trump.
He is perhaps confused between his role as head of government and his role as head of state. It’s confusing enough there’s something to be said for separating the two functions. The head of state often does not have to leave when a government is voted out and, come to think of it, Trump would probably like that.
He seems comfortable with autocrats like Kim Jong Un but a bit puzzled about the division of labor between Queen Elizabeth and Boris Johnson. His comfort level gives us things like Mr. Kim firing missiles but writing lovely letters. And Vladimir Putin’s “forceful” denials of involvement in swinging the outcome of the 2016 U.S. elections. Whatever you think of autocracies, they follow one simple prime directive: the will of the autocrat.
While diplomacy-by-tweet has not done well, the situation has been exacerbated by the Trump administration leaving…
