The Laugh Heard Around The World

One of President Trump’s favorite lines is to claim the world is laughing at the United States. As candidate and now President, Trump has often criticized long-established U.S. policies, saying they make America the “laughing stock” of the world.

For instance, he has said our trade policies, the Iran deal and the Paris Climate Accords were so bad that the world was laughing at the United States. America was getting taken advantage of by all these bad agreements. But the real laugh came this week and it was on Trump.

In Trump’s United Nations speech this week he discovered that the world is truly laughing, but not at America. The world’s UN membership is laughing at him.

In response to Trump’s exaggerated and boastful assertion of accomplishments, the UN General Assembly audience answered with muffled laughter. Trump seemed visibly surprised and shaken by the audience’s laughter and acknowledged he didn’t expect that reaction. That comment by Trump was followed by much louder laughter.

“In less than two years my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said. (laughter) “So true,” said Trump. (followed by louder laughter) “Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”

At a press conference following the UN speech on Wednesday, Trump labeled the reports that he was the object of the UN laughter as “fake news.” He claimed the audience was laughing with him rather than at him.

“They weren’t laughing at me, they were laughing with me. We were having fun,” Trump said.

If the UN members were having fun, they were enjoying mocking Donald Trump for another of his preposterous and silly boasts. Is this just another one of Trump’s frequent gaffes, or does he really believe his own unsubstantiated claims? Does he actually believe they were laughing with him and not at him? If he thinks they were with him, he’s dangerously disconnected from reality.

Perhaps Steven Colbert of The Late Show best summed up the world’s reaction to Trump’s absurd UN speech boast in a tweet.

“Trump had the laugh heard around the world” tweeted Colbert.

On his show, Colbert continued his jabs at Trump’s ridiculous speech before the UN by comparing it to a “wedding guest that hates weddings.”

In Trump’s nonsensical world view, facts don’t need to be consistent with reality. Trump’s commitment to divide the world’s nations in the very institution dedicated to finding common ground is the new normal. Colbert described this up is down, topsy-turvy Trump-world very accurately.

“So Trump appeared before the United Nations to reject the premise of nations uniting,” Colbert joked.

Much has been written about Trump’s mental state. There has been a great deal of speculation about his penchant for distortion, false statements and outright lies.

Considering that Trump avoids hostile audiences and assumes the mainstream media isn’t credible he probably assumed he could continue his ludicrous claims on the world stage without question. He was shocked to find that nations of the world really depend on the truth as demonstrated by facts.

by Rick Smith
Posted 9/28/18