Saudi Arabia is playing the Donald in the smartest way possible ....

[kwassa]

Flatter him to death. Treat him like visiting royalty. Throw lots of pomp and ceremony at him. Give him medals. Validate his lifestyle, and his nepotistic governing style, just like theirs. Ignore his past Islamophobia. Use him.

Trump desperately needs approval, and in his narcissism needs to be thought of as extraordinary, and the Saudis are willing to feed that need. He is known to be extremely susceptible to flattery. They own him, now.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gets-elaborate-welcome-in-saudi-arabia-embarking-on-first-foreign-trip/2017/05/20/679f2766-3d1d-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html?utm_term=.e94ae5e8d11a

"In a series of official arrival ceremonies — at the airport and the Royal Court palace — Trump, his wife, Melania, and an entourage including virtually his entire senior White House staff and some of his Cabinet, were serenaded by military bands, treated to a flyover of Saudi jets, feted in opulent palaces and given the undivided attention of King Salman, ruler of this ultraconservative Muslim nation.

As Trump arrived at Murabba Palace for a royal dinner, hundreds of Saudi men in long, white robes danced the Ardha, a traditional sword dance that is performed on Saudi National Day and in honor of special guests.

Trump, grinning broadly at the festivities, waded in and took a few obligatory dips in the dance. Several of Trump’s male aides, along with Salman, participated with more enthusiasm. Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross raised swords and linked arms with Saudis, chanting to the beat of feathered drums, while Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn also laughed and swayed.

..............................................................

Jubeir, in the news conference with Tillerson, heaped praise on Trump, saying that the foreign policy novice had the “vision,” “strength” and “decisiveness,” in the estimation of the Saudi leadership, to bring peace between Israel and Palestine. The minister went on to borrow one of Trump’s favorite campaign slogans, saying that a new relationship between the United States and the Arab world could “drain the swamps from which extremism and terrorism emanates.” "

[C_U_L8R]

1. Enjoy it while it lasts

The soup line servers at Sing Sing may not be so obsequious

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Yup. They're playing him like a Stradivarius,

and I'm sure he hasn't a clue. They get their arms deal and he gets some industrial-strength ego strokes, and he can go home and proclaim what a great visit he had and how much they loved him.

[chelsea0011]

8. Treat him like the king he isn't and we get to front the ridiculous billions

in arms he forks over.

[pangaia]

17. Please,please, NOT a Strad.. Terrible analogy!!,

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. But they are doing it so beautifully and so perfectly!

They've got cynical ass-kissing down to an art form.

[pangaia]

21. How can you compare trumpfuck to a Strad or a del Jesu?

These are beautiful priceless creations.

Not quite trumpfuck..

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. My comparison is really to the way he's being played.

He's being managed so beautifully and artfully that I am in awe. It's not Trump that's like the Strad, it's the playing of him. The Saudis have managed to make a cigar-box violin with rubber-band strings sound like a Strad by their magnificent performance of epic, weapons-grade flattery.

[pangaia]

25. Well, ok.. i can live with that.

I just wouldn't have picked Hillary Hahn.


For me....Kyung-Wha Chung.
In fact I was at her recital at Carnegie Hall thurs nite when she made history playing all 6 Bach Sonatas and Partitas.
It was Beyond belief!!!

🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻

[DFW]

3. It sounds like they researched, had him pegged, and are now playing him like a fiddle n/t

[BannonsLiver]

4. Birds of a feather...

[imanamerican63]

5. I keep saying.....

"WAIT until he(Trump) gives his Muslim hate speech tomorrow then see how fast they give him the "ROYAL boot" and throw him out of the country"!

[SHRED]

6. Dictators love him

Democracies...not so much.

[smirkymonkey]

7. I can't believe how EASY this guy is!

A few trinkets and a little flattery and he's anybody's bitch.

God, help us!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. He can't even keep the gold bauble they gave him.

If it's worth more than $375 (and it almost certainly is; the Saudis don't skimp on gold) it has to be turned over to the National Archives.

[Else You Are Mad]

28. You are assuming...

That he will follow the rules.

[onethatcares]

9. I know they don't serve alcohol there

but a few well placed shots of tequila would create a fine picture.

[kwassa]

12. Donald doesn't drink, anyways.

He is that crazy without the benefit of alcohol.

[pangaia]

19. Trust me Muslims have been know to drink alcohol...And sometimes 3s lots of it. Lol...

[onethatcares]

23. that's a given

thanks.

[GeorgeGist]

10. A smarter way would have The Donald ...

ending up behind bars.

[BigmanPigman]

14. Preferably after they seize all his assets and his family's assetc as well (like Bernie Madoff).

I want him to go down in history as the most evil, sociopathic, and bankrupt ex-pesident. That would really anger him the most (ego and greed).

[kentuck]

11. They are playing him like a fiddle...

..as Rome burns.

Flatter him and make him feel important.

Putin understands that as well.

[Honeycombe8]

13. Maybe they really like him. I wonder why. Because he's mean and corrupt? Corrupt is good for them?

Maybe corrupt IS good for them. He can be bought.

BTW, I've read that Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that loaned the Don millions, when he couldn't get loans in the U S and elsewhere after his bankruptcies. So he's indebted to them big time. So no surprise to learn that we will be giving S.A. a lot of money, if what I read is true.

The Donald loves spending OPM (Other People's Money), as he has said.

[NastyRiffraff]

30. Despots recognizing a kindred spirit? n/t

[Ilsa]

15. Easily done. Al, they had to do was watch how

Russia managed him. It's easy to play to his weaknesses with a few lies about his greatness, success, etc, and throwing trinkets at him.

[countryjake]

16. K&R!

[mountain grammy]

24. Puffing him up. Great, we need that from our good buds

the Saudis. Bet donnie wishes he was a king.

[TygrBright]

26. Roger Stone and the other MAGA woolhats are already frothing at the mouth. n/t

[Motley13]

27. all the foreign leader have his #, puff up his ego & in this case give him gold

[Lotusflower70]

29. It's genius

It's going from one manipulation to another. I heard a Saudi spokesman say about what Trump said on the campaign trail as just talk. But I think that is the poker face. They aren't going to put it all out there. They are doing what they need to get what they want and they are laughing at it.