Vance, Trump, and The Art of Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
Rather than rely on politeness and kind words to sway hearts and minds, Trump and Vance have decided a no-bullshit approach is necessary. Results over rhetoric.
Speaking with the more anti-Trump elements of my social circles, a common criticism seems to emerge. Oftentimes it seems they’re more concerned with the rhetoric coming from the administration and less the actual policy itself.
Sure, they admit, Europe isn’t doing enough to defend itself against Russian aggression. And yes, America has wasted money on international boondoggles like LGBTI+ advocacy in Africa. But does he have to say it like that?
I find this reflex fascinating because it reveals a crack in the generational and political ideologies of the past and future, where the way you say something is as important as what you said.
To those convinced that a post-Cold War neoliberal world order can and should be salvaged, the niceties of politics are an integral part of the equation. It’s not enough to have the right policy, it must be communicated with a sense of decorum. Obama, a once in a lifetime orator who still dazzles the Europeans, embodies this perfectly.
What do Europeans remember of the Obama years? Russia’s first foray into Crimea and conquest of the Donbass, the beginnings of the migrant crisis, and an NSA surveillance scandal? Or the smooth talker who said all the right things and placated the Old World’s ego?
Polling from the end of Obama’s time in office shows that even after all of those aforementioned scandals, the former President still ranked highly amongst the European hoi polloi.
For those who realize that Trump’s second victory definitively marks the end of the old trans-Atlantic order, the policy is more important than how it’s conveyed.
See Vance’s recent trip to Munich. The Vice President excoriated his European counterparts in his prepared remarks, accusing them of exacerbating the migrant crisis amongst other admonitions.
And while the continent grumbled at Vance’s statements, they would be hard pressed to deny he had a point.
Back in 2015, Angela Merkal infamously claimed wir schaffen das when it came to the growing tide of boats traversing the Mediterranean to land on fertile European shores. Fast forward 10 years, the issue threatens to tear the continent apart and has led to a surge of popular support for parties who put stemming the flow of migrants at the forefront of their platforms.
While the Europe of the past was content to sit on flowery declarations of Willkommenskultur, reality has slapped the continent square in the face, something that Vance and Trump are all too willing to point out.
Or consider the push by the Trump administration to sever ties with Russian natural gas, a plea several presidents have made to deaf ears. Few can forget that during Trump’s first term, Germany’s UN representatives laughed when the president claimed they would be “totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course.”
Who has the last laugh here?
Indeed, it is this bewildering refusal by our supposed European allies to acknowledge reality because it comes from the mouth of a brash Trump that makes him so appealing to the domestic audience.
He’s not pussyfooting around the truth that Europe has royally dropped the ball when it comes to their own defense and that they can’t rely on the American gravy train any longer. Even though many presidents have implied it, or framed the call for increased European defense spending in terms of mutual benefit, it is Trump’s bold and honest talk that has actually moved the needle.
Rather than rely on politeness and kind words to sway hearts and minds, Trump and Vance have decided a no-bullshit approach is necessary. Results over rhetoric.
For many Americans, this is the appeal. They see a leader who speaks plainly and forces allies to confront uncomfortable truths even if it pisses them off.
I will continue to hear complaints about how crude Trump is from those who view niceties as part of the job description. I’ll just smile and nod and remember how we actually got our European allies to give a shit about their own affairs. Or at least that we’re not footing the bill anymore.