Bullies

(Peppers, 2007)

“You know bullies? You know what a bully is, right? You know the bully, I’ve always ― and I found it throughout my life, a bully is the weakest person. — Donald Trump

It takes one to know one.

What passes for Donald Trump’s foreign policy is built on the presumption that he can get his way through bullying.

It starts with size.

There are various ways to measure the size and strength of the world’s nations, but what has long been the standard measurement is the gross domestic product or GDP, which is one way to gauge the total value of a country's economy.

According to data from 2023 published by the World Bank, the top ten countries by GDP are:

1. United States: $27.3 trillion

2. China: $17.8 trillion

3. Germany: $4.5 trillion

4. Japan: $4.2 trillion

5. India: $3.5 trillion

6. United Kingdom: $3.3 trillion

7. France: $3.0 trillion

8. Italy: $2.3 trillion

9. Brazil: $2.2 trillion

10. Canada: $2.1 trillion

Economists argue about whether GDP is the best way to measure quality of life, but when it comes to global politics, the biggest countries economically are in a position to bully smaller countries, and that is something Donald Trump understands very well.

Leaving aside China for a moment, the US economy is bigger than the other eight countries on this list combined by 4.3 trillion dollars.

So when Trump throws his weight around against them individually or collectively, through tariffs or other weapons, he is in effect trying to bully them into submission.

When it comes to China, the only economy anywhere near as large as the US, Trump knows he has to tread slightly more cautiously, but there too he is testing the Chinese to match his aggressive tariffs..

But as Trump’s surprisingly candid remark about bullies indicates, bullies act out of weakness and if the rest of the countries strike back in a coordinated manner, they can eventually bring the bully to his knees, which Trump ought to know as well.

But unfortunately, by that point a lot of damage will have been done. 

HEADLINES:

• Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk’s DOGE over data (WP)

• First Test of Trump’s Power to Fire Officials Reaches Supreme Court (NYT)

• Mass firings continue across nation’s health agencies (Politico)

• Why Trump targets AP (Axios)

• Acting archivist, inspector general for National Archives forced out (WP)

• 10 'Richest' Countries in the World (With a Huge Caveat) (Money)

• ‘Stunning Freudian Slip’: Trump’s Hot Take On Bullies Leads To Epic ‘Self Own’ (HuffPost)

• Hundreds of CDC employees laid off in latest round of firings (Today)

• Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal (AP)

• X is blocking links to Signal, a secure messaging platform used by federal workers (TechCrunch)

• America Will Pay Dearly for the NIH’s Mindless War on Wokeness and DEI (Mother Jones)

• ‘Not My President’ rally held in Berkeley, joining many protests across the bay, and the country (Berkeleyside)

• Four top deputies to Eric Adams have resigned, New York mayor says (CNN)

• For Thousands of Workers, the U.S.-Mexico Border Is Just a Commute (WSJ)

• Netanyahu signals he’s moving ahead with Trump’s idea to transfer Palestinians from Gaza (AP)

• US-Russia talks sideline Ukraine and Europe (Al Jazeera)

• Europeans explore troops for Ukraine ceasefire — and want U.S. support (WP)

• U.K., Sweden say troops could head to post-war Ukraine as Trump fuels a European "collective security" drive (CBS)

• What might a European military force in Ukraine look like? (Guardian)

• Ukraine and Russia at War (Reuters)

• Delta plane crashes, overturns in Toronto; all survive, officials say (ABC)

• Watch: Deadly storm hits south-eastern US and Canada (BBC)

• Here's Why Retirees on Social Security Were Just Dealt a Major Blow (Motley Fool)

• English Professor Suddenly Realizes Students Will Believe Literally Anything She Says (The Onion)