In a rare act of self-awareness on the part of the Trump administration, the president’s trade advisor Peter Navarro has offered a tepid apology for his ludicrous comments about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Over the weekend, Navarro claimed that there was a “special place in hell” for foreign leaders who engage in “bad faith diplomacy” with Trump, a reference to Trudeau who made the perfectly reasonable announcement that his country wouldn’t be bullied by Trump’s ill-conceived tariffs and would respond in kind.
It was a stunningly offensive and aggressive line of rhetoric from Navarro, and harsher than what the Trump administration has directed against dictators like Putin who actively seek to undermine American democracy. Canada is a great friend to the United States, and their economy and culture are irrevocably interwoven with ours.
In an effort to look tough, Trump and his goons decided to destroy generations of goodwill and cooperation between the two nations. It’s exactly the kind of thoughtless, chaotic foreign diplomacy that Trump has repeatedly favored. It accomplishes nothing but gives his frothing base a new other to focus on and hate.
Peter Navarro: "There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door…that’s what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference." pic.twitter.com/KtqKXizBEc
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) June 10, 2018
During an event with The Wall Street Journal, Navarro called his language “inappropriate” which of course it was. He admitted it was a mistake, but failed to point out that it was also childish, pandering, and destructive to the United States’ relationship with one of our closest allies.
Navarro said he “owns” his comments, but stopped short of offering Trudeau the personal apology he deserved, demonstrating that even when members of the Trump administration know they’re wrong they refuse to do the right thing. Hopefully, we can eject this shameful regime from the White House soon enough, and elect officials who can begin in earnest the long process of rebuilding our international relationships.
Navarro on his @JustinTrudeau comments: says his job last Sunday was to send a signal of strength. "In conveying that message I used language that was inappropriate and basically lost the power of that message. I own that, that was my mistake, my words." #WSJCFO
— CFO Journal (@CFOJournal) June 12, 2018
