“Sit Down Boy” …

Capt. Traore

This blog writer is concentrating today mainly on Donald Trump’s ongoing bombast, such as when he ordered the bombing of Iran with B2 Stealth bombers and then declared “Congratulations World; It’s Time for Peace.” However, another event involving a key spokesperson for the Trump administration, shows how some of the U.S. President’s highly negative attitudes affect other leaders as far away as West Africa.

Karoline Leavitt, the president’s sharp-tongued press secretary uttered those racist and condescending words, “Sit down boy”, at a forum where the special guest was Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the 34-year-old President in Transition of the West African nation of Burkina Faso.

Meanwhile, President Trump, having pronounced that it is “time for peace” was  furious and dropped the “F” bomb when Israel and Iran were obviously not following his declaration of a ceasefire.

As it turned out, Trump’s ordered bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities had not “obliterated” the installation, as he had claimed. In fact, media outlets, including the New York Times and CNN, had access to intelligence that said the bombing mission was far from complete and would only set back the nuclear development by a few months.
 
Then, when the ceasefire finally was taking hold, Trump said in an interview with NBC News “I think the ceasefire is unlimited. It’s going to go forever.” He added that the war is now completely over and that he does not believe Israel and Iran “will ever be shooting at each other again.”
 
There is much more to relate of Trump’s praise for his own actions, but first we need to go back to the beginning of this Against the Flow column.
 
Ms. Leavitt, trusted by Trump to convey all his thoughts to the media, made her unfortunate put-down of the up-and-coming African leader at a forum in New York City. If Traore was very upset with Leavitt, he did not let it show.

He calmly told Leavitt about his young brother, just a boy, killed in a street Demonstration in Burkina Faso.
 
A champion of an eventual United States of Africa, Traore clearly does not have a very favorable view of today’s United States of America.
 
In the forum with Ms. Leavitt, when Americans in the room applauded when Traore demonstrated his dignity in responding to Leavitt’s demeaning comments, Traore urged the Americans present: “Don’t just clap, change.”
 
Captured by cameras, that exchange soon went viral in the USA and in much of the world.
 
This writer has not spoken with a single Canadian who does not cringe on hearing Ms. Leavitt’s blindly loyal defenses of President Trump from her White House podium.
 
Of course, things have changed drastically for Canadians since Trump began his second term as President. His tariffs and his talk of making Canada the 51st state have resulted in a deep groundswell of patriotism in this until-now quiet and polite northern nation.
 
Like Americans, Canadians would no doubt be happy if the Iran regime would cease its effort to develop the nuclear bomb. But is there no answer in negotiation, short of sending in the B2 bombers?
 
Trump is not one to take advice on the Iran war, even from some members of his MAGA base. Yet, Trump’s delusions of grandeur took several knocks this week as a result of the Iranian escapade: his rosy portrayal of his accomplishment in the Iran bombing, the overstated ceasefire, and his conclusion that he believes that Iran and Israel will never be “shooting at each other again.”
 
Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and his ministers have wisely been urging restraint in the Israel-Iran situation.
 
Despite his challenging week, Trump had an opportunity to do a victory lap at the NATO Summit this Tuesday and Wednesday. Canada and most other NATO member countries have struggled for years to bring up their military spending to two per cent of GDP. Prime Minister Carney has said Canada will reach the two per cent mark next year.
 
But Donald Trump has long been pushing for NATO members to vastly increase their military spending to 5 per cent. All members this week declared their intention to reach this level within 10 years. For Canada to reach that goal, the country would have to increase defense spending by $150 billion per year. Carney noted that included in this figure could be funding for infrastructure such as upgrading the country’s ports, or pathways to critical minerals.
 
Regardless, Trump glowed with his victory.
 
As for his White House Press secretary Leavitt, she did not fare so well in her encounter with Capt. Traore. The calm, dignified African leader concluded:           
“I never asked for pity, I asked for eyes that truly see.’

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