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US President Donald Trump has taken his campaign message to the world with a speech in Warsaw in defence of the values and freedoms of the "West".
"There are dire threats to our security and to our way of life," he told a Polish audience chanting, "Donald Trump, Donald Trump".
"You see what's happening out there. They are threats. We will confront them. We will win. But they are threats."
In a prepared speech focused on the courage and strength of spirit of the Polish through World War II and years of brutal communist rule, the President invoked the twin threats of terrorism and North Korea.
"Just as Poland could not be broken, I declare today for the world to hear that the West will never, ever be broken," he told the supportive crowd, who were apparently bussed in for the event.
"Our values will prevail. Our people will thrive. And our civilisation will triumph."
The speech came ahead of the President's attendance at the G20 where he's meeting world leaders with whom he's had various levels of tension including Germany's Angela Merkel, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
The President put Ms Merkel offside during his last visit to Europe due to their different views on trade, defence and climate change. Afterwards, she said the days when Europe could rely on others are "over to a certain extent".
"This is what I have experienced in the last few days," she said.
The German Chancellor is said to be planning to take it up to the President on climate change at the G20, after his decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
That said, after an awkward moment in the Oval Office a few months ago in which Mr Trump appeared to snub Ms Merkel during a photo op, the pair DID shake hands this time.
Still awks.
Speaking of awkward, remember that time Vladimir Putin brought his Labrador to a meet and greet with the dog-fearing Ms Merkel?
Speculation is rife about what he might bring to his meeting with Mr Trump. Hmm. Something to ponder.
Apart from the general threat of global terrorism, and Syria, North Korea is the central subject on Mr Trump's agenda in Europe.
That's because Kim Jong-un sent the US a 4th of July "gift" in the form of its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM.
Apart from the fact that it derailed UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's holiday:
It's sparked grave concern that the despotic regime may soon be able to miniaturise a nuclear warhead, place it on a missile and hit the US west coast. (Pyongyang to LA would take about half an hour by the way. Gulp.)
Mr Trump's response to the test was typically blunt:
(Tweets are official White House statements remember.)
North Korean state media matched that with this response from the Dear Leader:
"The American bastards must be quite unhappy after closely watching our strategic decision."
I think that's a given that was borne out at the resultant UN Security Council emergency meeting.
In Haley v Safronkov episode #45217, an unscripted spat broke out between frenemies Russia and the United States before the global media. Following the ICBM test, all nations condemned North Korea's actions, but some had caveats.
Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the UN Vladimir Safronkov told the committee that "any attempts to justify a military solution are inadmissible" and rejected further economic sanctions, sparking a response from Ms Haley with a voice full of emotion that "to sit there and oppose sanctions, or to sit there and go in defiance of a new resolution, means you're holding the hands of Kim Jong-un".
Ouchie.
Incidentally, new South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Mr Trump had their first meeting at the White House just a week or so ago. Mr Moon came to power with a mandate to initiate dialogue with North Korea and has just suspended the rollout of the US THAAD missile defence system.
Maybe he's trying to placate China which has been highly critical of the system?
China's behaviour in relation to North Korea is under scrutiny (again/still) as it continues to allow trade with its neighbour despite sanctions and pushes for talks rather than any harsher action against the regime.
Mr Trump's patience with his recently acquired friend Mr Xi is already waning.
Just on North Korea, it's worth noting that America has had some pretty strident things to say this time around.
Mr Trump:
"They are behaving in a very dangerous manner and something will have to be done about it."
And Ms Haley:
"The United States is prepared to use the full range of our capabilities to defend ourselves and our allies. One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces, we will use them if we must but we prefer not to go in that direction."
Their comments are not a lot different from what they said after a ballistic missile test back in April.
That's because, like I said, if you want to avoid all out war the options are scant.
ICYMI:
- Representative Steve Scalise was returned to the Intensive Care Unit in a serious condition over infection concerns, three weeks after surviving a shooting at baseball practice with his Republican colleagues. The House Majority Whip was critically injured when James Hodgkinson opened fire on the charity game training session last month. Five others were injured in the shooting and the gunman died in hospital after a shootout with police at the scene.
Speaking of holidays...
New Jersey Governor and former presidential candidate Chris Christie was at the receiving end of public criticism this week after he closed New Jersey beaches as part of a budget shutdown over the 4th of July weekend. It was bad enough to close the beaches on a major holiday, but on a hunch, an enterprising photographer flew over the Governor's beachside vacation home only to find the man himself on one of the very beaches he closed.
Click here to see how they did it.
Beaches were reopened by Independence Day and Jersey Sand Sculptors got crafty.
Jersey Sand Sculptors revenge:
Beached as, Chris.
We'll leave you with this to contemplate, until next week:
Happy 4th of July?
Topics: world-politics, donald-trump, united-states