Leaders used as props in Trump's trashy show

The Advertiser

4 hours ago

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."