They have his number… from Putin to Netanyahu to Rubio, they all know that flattery will get you everywhere with Trump. They all whisper praise in his ear.
WBURBy Tamara Keith Saige MillerAugust 02, 2025There's a pattern in many of President Trump's interactions with other world leaders. You might call it "the art of the praise" — and they are serving heaping amounts of flattery.When Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the U.K. paid a visit to the White House in February, he brought a letter tucked in his jacket pocket. It was a formal invitation from King Charles III for a rare second state visit, presented to Trump with rhetorical flourish in the Oval Office."This is really special. This has never happened before," Starmer said. "This is unprecedented, and I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. So this is a very special letter."[…]There is another explanation. These leaders have "taken the measure of the man," said Ivo Daalder. He is a senior fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard and served as U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Obama administration.He says Trump clearly wants to be seen as a winner, as a singularly important figure who achieves things that others can't."So, flattery and saying he is the best, that he is the only person who could have achieved this outcome at this summit, is meant to first and foremost keep him on side," Daalder says.
So, all these "deals" — are they really deals? Yes, Trump walks out of meetings waving all these supposed victories, but are these deals actually in our favor?
That is the question. Did we go to war because Trump was manipulated by Netanyahu? Did Netanyahu know exactly which buttons to push? The Navy Times wrote:
Netanyahu in a news conference on Thursday dismissed as “fake news” claims that “Israel somehow dragged the U.S. into a conflict with Iran. Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on.”Trump has said publicly that the decision to strike was his alone.Reuters reporting, with officials and others close to both leaders speaking mostly on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of internal deliberations, does not suggest that Netanyahu forced Trump to go to war. But the reporting shows that the Israeli leader was an effective advocate and that his framing of the decision – including the opportunity to kill an Iranian leader who allegedly had overseen efforts to kill Trump – was persuasive to the president.[…]But during a December visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Netanyahu told Trump that he was not fully satisfied with the outcome of the joint operation in June, said two people familiar with the relationship between the two leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity.Trump indicated he was open to another bombing campaign, the people added, but he also wanted to try another round of diplomatic talks.
And like a little puppy dog, Trump agreed!
We don't know exactly why Trump agreed. We don't know whether Netanyahu played him like a fiddle. What we do know is that Trump has a strong dislike for Presidents Obama and Biden and seems to have a desire to outdo both of them.
But consider this: Was the deal good for both sides? Look back. The answer isn't so clear. Just look at what this is doing to our economy!
‘Thank you, thank you, thank you’: A diplomat’s guide to dealing with Trump Donald Trump’s tendency to change his mind and trust his instincts has led foreign leaders to try appealing to his personal feelings, not geopolitics.Christian Science MonitorBy Ned TemkoAug. 21, 2025Thank you, Mr. President. … Thank you. … Thank you, dear Donald!”The gushing gratitude that leaders of Ukraine, NATO allies, and the European Commission showed at the White House this week was not a mere nervous tic. It was a core feature of their high-stakes mission to safeguard Kyiv from a potential U.S.-backed peace deal on Russia’s terms.And it was the latest, most dramatic sign of a sea change in the way many leaders around the world are now approaching relations with the United States.With each passing week since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, their focus has shifted more from traditional diplomacy to psychology – with the overriding aim of staying on the right side of the man in the Oval Office.Partly, that’s because of Mr. Trump’s outsize personality, as well as his undisguised thirst for praise and for accolades such as the Nobel Peace Prize.But the main concern has been the real-world effects – the result of his unprecedented, almost uncontested, control of the levers of power and his penchant for policy swerves and U-turns.
Govern by praise! Whisper sweet nothings in his ear, and he'll follow you anywhere!
You have to wonder… is that how Putin got Trump to agree to the diesel fuel deal, by telling him he would become the hero of the Middle East if he overrode the trade embargo against Russia?
On the flip side, we know all too well how Trump handles criticism!
Trump's Inability To Take Criticism May Come Down To A Lack Of 'Ego Strength.' Here’s
What That Means. “Most people struggle with that, but most people do not struggle with it to the degree we’re talking about with [Trump],” one expert said.Huff PostBy Jillian WilsonNov 8, 2026Anyone who has ever watched an interview of President Donald Trump or read his social media posts is likely familiar with his approach to criticism.He’s verbally attacked journalists who have questioned his decisions and fired back at politicians who challenge his administration’s handling of any situation, from questions from a reporter regarding polling numbers among voters to an attack on Supreme Court justices after they ruled against his tariff policy.According to Manahil Riaz, a psychotherapist in Houston and the owner of Riaz Counseling, people who respond to criticism in a similar way to Trump do so for several reasons. For Trump personally, it may be a way to protect himself, to show power and even create a distinct political strategy, Riaz said.[…]“He has this ego defensiveness that formed as a way to protect himself from ever having to look at himself and ever having to internalize someone else’s feedback,” Harris added.}
This is dangerous for a world leader. His adversaries know which buttons to push to get him to do something — or not do something. And that is a very dangerous trait for anyone in such a powerful position!
