Despite long-standing assurances from the State Department that the US would take no stance on the upcoming Catalonia referendum, President Trump couldn’t help himself while hosting Spain’s Prime Minister, loudly endorsing Spanish unity.
Trump attacked the referendum effort in Catalonia as “foolish,” saying the people of Catalonia should accept a united Spain. Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy insisted the vote wouldn’t count anyhow.
Catalonia’s referendum on independence is scheduled for Sunday, despite Spain prohibiting it from happening. The signs are that the vote will take place over their objections, however, and attempted crackdowns seem to be fueling increasing resentment within Catalonia.
President Trump’s decision to chime in reflects the largely anti-secessionist views across the West right now, with many nations fearing they’d face similar votes if Catalonia succeeded. It does, however, risk making President Trump, and by extension the US, the face of anti-independence.
The timing of Rajoy’s visit suggests Spain was hoping to get Trump to endorse their moves against Catalonia, at a time when many EU nations are trying to avoid public comment on the matter.
By saying this, Trump has shown he is anti-American. The fundamental belief of America is that a government must have the consent of the governed, and that the people should be free to erect whatever forms of government they believe will best effect their safety and happiness.
Donald Trump just said that King George was right and that the American patriots were “foolish”.
It is thus clear that Donald Trump hates America and the key values for which it stands.
First this weekend Trump attacked the very basic American concept of Freedom. Freedom of thought and Freedom of political expression are both to be banned in TrumpLand. Now Trump is attacking another basic American concept in attacking the notion that governments require the consent of the governed.
Trump hates America!
They can kneel all they want, but that doesn’t make it right and the employers can tell them to stop. If White players knelt when Obama was elected, to you actually think the NFL would have allowed that or would the NFL and Obama (and all the Democrats) attacked the “very basic American concept of Freedom.”?
Depends. If they were making a big deal about being a non-existent race (“White”), the NFL would presumably look into whether they were suffering from CTE or just nuts.
Same goes for Black, Thomas. 90% of the “Blacks” in the US are mixed race.
OK, so why are you gabbling about non-existent races, and capitalizing them? The question kind of answers itself, doesn’t it?
Only because you capitlized White. See above your post.
Er, no. I don’t capitalize “white” unless I’m quoting someone else. In this case, you.
In their widely accepted form, Black or White when referring to race, are appropriately capitalized. In any case, is that what it comes down to in a reply – whether a word should be capitalized or not? Silly Thomas.
It doesn’t depend. The NFL wouldn’t have allowed it and the political establishment and the media would have condemned it.
Well, you’re with “Empire” or against it. And when in charge, the choice is even more stark: you immediate start disbanding or instead keep reinforcing and confirming it. The original sin of states.
The United States did not think like you when the southern states wanted to be free .But they did when the Albanian Muslims wanted to be free from Serbian Christian rule . We had agreed apon international laws for ruling these problems . But United States ruined all agreed apon laws by destroying Yugoslavia in the ninties . Now the whole world want to separate .
Just shut up Donny and don’t get us in any more wars. That’s why I voted for you. I knew that accomplishing anything for the benefit of the common man was way above your pay grade. Go play golf.
Trump ‘s policies seem to have changed . He now is acting the part of a NWO president . I hope he changes back to a non interventionist like he said we should be
I think he’s playing 11th dimensional chess that Barack supporters were always going on about.
Independence of people to form their own government depends upon many factors – mostly if there is money involved (i.e, Catalonia); the convenience of the affected empires (i.e. Kurdistan), or in the case of already purloined resources (i.e. Palestine). The process is much more complicated now than it used to be. Democracy was an 18th Century meme.
Anyone at the State Dept who expected Trump to hold his tongue has spent this year in a coma.
Didn’t the State Department tell Saddam basically the same thing, about taking no stance, when he invaded Kuwait?
before he invaded Kuwait . after he invaded the United States objected
I’am a 100 % in favor of throwing out the whole west coast and some of the northeast coast out of the United States . I don’t want those assholes to ever again vote in a election with me .
The geographic Red-Blue breakdown of American elections in recent decades seems to show two fairly different cultures on the same land mass who would seemingly be happier separate political entities with a close trading relationship.
The United States forgot about all agreed apon international laws when they attacked and destroyed Yugoslavia and separated Kosovo from Serbia . This alerted Russia and China what we wanted to do them . Now almost 20 years later they are ready to take on NATO and the NWO if they have too . I don’t believe Russia or China will back down from Trump , the United Nations , The NWO or anybody else . Putin once discussed with president Bush the possibility of Russia joining the New World Order . Putin suggested we need to discuss what the orders should be President Bush said there can be no discussion the orders have already been decided . . I don’t think Russia or China wants to join the NWO .I’am not even sure the American people know yet what the NWO are
The US was also big supporter and facilitator of the splitting up of Indonesia(Timor) Ethiopia (Eritrea) and Sudan, while Iraq has basically been fragmented since the northern no-fly zone of the 90’s and Lybia is functionally 3 entities since 2012 and could splinter even more.
Big Brother Trump is worried about losing California.
It was a mistake by Trump to get into the Catalonia issue.
I doubt he knows much about it, and he just roused the resentment of Catalonians for no good reason.
How does the US decide which regions of the world it wants and does not want to become independent?
What are the rules? There are none.