In a dialogue between two New York Times columnists, one raised the alarm that Donald Trump's immaturity has not only made the U.S. a dangerous place, but has impacted how other world leaders have had to adapt to dealing with what is essentially a "toddler" who must constantly be placated.
In the sit-down moderated by Times Opinion senior international editor Krista Mahr, columnists Lydia Polgreen and Nick Kristof were asked to weigh in on what other countries have been faced with during Trump's second term and how it has differed from his previous stint in the Oval Office.
Noting that one upside of Trump has been his reluctance to plunge the U.S. into a war despite all of his saber-rattling, Polgreen noted that the president is easily distracted by lesser endeavors.
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"To me, this is one of the mysteries of Donald Trump because on one level it seems like he’s spending an awful lot of time on things that just don’t seem critical to American interest," she stated. "He cares a lot about the Kennedy Center, he cares a lot about the design of the Rose Garden and things that — given that we’re facing a world on fire — just seem so trivial."
With that in mind, she noted the danger of world leaders being forced to sink to Trump's level.
"It may be risky, but it’s also pretty pathetic that we essentially have world leaders treating the president of the United States like a toddler who needs to be placated with a shiny toy," she explained before noting the $400 million jet that Qatar is dangling in front of the president and adding it is a "really sinister and frankly pathetic about this way of operating in the world."
She continued, "It also becomes the cover for something potentially very dangerous because it means that the government of the United States, rather than thinking about its broad interests and peace and security in the world, is really catering to the venal and frankly childish desires of one very immature man."
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