'Chaos is a very difficult way to govern': US and world leaders silent about Trump at forum

Current and former leaders from the U.S. and around the world are gathering this week at a Colorado geopolitics conference to address some of the dangers facing the world such as Russia’s war on Ukraine and the unknowns surrounding AI.

But if the response of those attending the Aspen Security Forum to questions from reporters over the the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency is any indication, the topic appears to be off limits for public consumption, Politico reports.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s Trump-averse response to a question from a Politico reporter typified the mood at the forum.

“Ha! Thank you. I have enough problems at home,” Livni said walking away from the reporter.

Stephen Hadley, a former national security adviser to President George W. Bush said, “I don’t do politics.”

“I haven’t even begun to think about 2024,” said Stephen Biegun, who served as deputy secretary of State in Trump administration.

Nahal Toosi and Alexander Ward write for Politico that “Many of the people in Aspen say they’re not here to engage in partisanship but rather to seek solutions to problems that require buy-in from both U.S. political parties and global allies. And few of the discussions on stage referenced Trump, and when they did, it was usually in the context of his last administration’s policies.

But Toosi and Ward report that Trump talk is occurring privately, noting that this year’s forum is the last before 2024 race is already in full swing, and some have expressed concern that Trump would seek to undermine efforts to confront the world’s challenges that are being discussed in Aspen this week.

“Chaos is a very difficult way to govern,” a former Trump administration who granted anonymity told Politico.

Read the article here.