Trump via CNN:
“We’re negotiating with many countries but at the end of this I’ll set
my own deals because I set the deal, they don’t set the deal, I set the
deal,” he told reporters Sunday. “This is not like a big deal that’s
gonna be signed — in some cases we’ll sign them, but we don’t have to
sign them. I’ll be setting the deal, I’ll be setting the tariff.”
Not sure what my preferred response is? Options:
1) Self-contradicting, because if you always get to set the terms in the end, why would you bother "negotiating" in the first place?
2) His book must have been really short. "In negotiations, you always win. You always have 100% of the leverage. It's super easy. The End."
3) Reality: "I'm Donald Trump, and while it's true that I've come THIS close to destroying the American experiment, I ALSO think that I have the same power over the rest of the world. I've 'won' in America, so why wouldn't I win everywhere else, and easily?"
Small consolation to watch him get destroyed by the rest of the world. I'll do my best to enjoy it, and I'm optimistic.