Underestimating Trump: Foreign diplomat edition - Thomas Lifson

by Thomas Lifson

The Obama administration was the most academic administration we have ever had to deal with but the Trump administration has been the most thoughtful and intelligent.

Journalists and academics are not alone in underestimating Donald Trump. A foreign ambassador has now gone on the record as having been "pleasantly surprised" by the "informed questions" President Trump asked in two extended phone calls, despite having been advised to keep the conversations short because Trump "does not have a long attention span."

Benny Johnson of the Independent Journal-Review attended a dinner with the Afghan ambassador in which the diplomat, Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, spoke on the record about his conversations with our president:

During this Q and A, the ambassador was asked about the current American administration and how the people of Afghanistan viewed President Trump. His answer stunned those listening, not only for its candor but also for its rare insight into how the president approaches foreign policy. His full response to the question:
"I've personally met with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago and the president has had two phone conversations with President Ghani [The president of Afghanistan]. One call was after he won the election and one after [Trump] became president. Before the calls, we were advised to keep conversations short because, we were told, Trump will not be interested in the details of the call and does not have a long attention span, so it would be pointless to have a long call.
However, we were pleasantly surprised at how much time President Trump spent asking very informed questions. The first time the presidents spoke, the questions Trump asked impressed us. "How can you win in this fight [against terrorism]?" he asked. "What do you need to become financially independent?" and "How can American business invest in Afghanistan? How can we develop businesses and mining in your country?"
Trump would listen intently after each question, often asking follow-ups. Trump's second call with our president was even longer than the first. Asking these types of questions for our country is something the Obama administration never did. The Obama administration was the most academic administration we have ever had to deal with but the Trump administration has been the most thoughtful and intelligent.
Trump continually asked "How can you win? What does Afghanistan need to win?" in reference to our fight with terrorism. Trump wants to win. Sincerely. All the Obama administration wanted to do was not lose.
The Obama administration was hesitant with us. The enemy could sense that. When the Obama administration announced its plans to pull troops out of the region, they announced the exact date they would do it. All our enemies had to do was wait [Obama] out. They knew the date they had to hang on until — which gave them the will to fight. They used that time to recruit and build up resources.

There's more.

Thomas Lifson

Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/03/underestimating_trump_foreign_diplomat_edition.html

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