To celebrate the anniversary of the 2016 presidential election President Trump tweets “Congratulations Deplorables”:

(LINK)

 

As CTH provides an overview of President Trump’s historic visit to communist China the majority of our review is toward the geopolitical aspects.  China is a communist nation; many people forget that.  China’s central command and control authority goals are to dominate the globe with a disposition that China is the world’s center.

Therefore the optics and presentations from Beijing contain more audiences, and more nuance, than what is customary in a state visit with a non-adversarial free society.
China, Xi Jinping and Beijing’s communist old guard, approach the U.S. presidential visit from a dynamic unfamiliar to most U.S. observers and political watchers.  There are multiple audiences, internally and externally for China, being managed in this visit.   Additionally, the engagement with President Trump and First-Lady Melania Trump is both cultural and political.
Despite the complexity of the dynamic it is possible to locate indicators within this controlled script that later allows us to analyze the U.S. and Chinese engagement as future events present.   These important reviews of how Beijing is controlling the visit are not related to personal relationship dynamics or disrespect toward the U.S. President. The considerations are about the politics not the personality.
The personality of the participants may change; but the dynamic of the politics, the geopolitical face, presented by Beijing toward their ongoing goals and objectives, will remain constant for many years.  For our endeavors, it is the dynamic of the geopolitical face that becomes more important.  We are looking beyond the mask; whether it’s a panda mask or a dragon mask, it matters not. It’s always a mask. [Hope that makes sense.]
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President Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet complete with marching band and joyful children for the arrival of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
However, there will be strict controls on U.S. and Western media, so don’t expect too much unchecked communication; as well as expansive control over the optics of the general Chinese population. Beijing’s old guard will not want the optic of too warm a welcome from the uncontrolled population toward their primary geopolitical adversary.

Schedule:
2:40pm (Local) / 1:40am (U.S. Easern) THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive at Beijing Airport, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China
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President Donald Trump delivered a historic speech to the South Korean National Assembly in Seoul. Amid escalating tensions with North Korea, President Trump outlined his views, policy and perspective for the regional partners while calling for North Korea to reevaluate its path.

[WHITE HOUSE] PRESIDENT TRUMP: Assembly Speaker Chung, distinguished members of this Assembly, ladies and gentlemen: Thank you for the extraordinary privilege to speak in this great chamber and to address your people on behalf of the people of the United States of America.
In our short time in your country, Melania and I have been awed by its ancient and modern wonders, and we are deeply moved by the warmth of your welcome.
Last night, President and Mrs. Moon showed us incredible hospitality in a beautiful reception at the Blue House. We had productive discussions on increasing military cooperation and improving the trade relationship between our nations on the principle of fairness and reciprocity.
Through this entire visit, it has been both our pleasure and our honor to create and celebrate a long friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
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Those who have followed the Chinese strategy of President Trump will note strong signals of success therein amid an advanced visit ground report from Reuters News Service.
BACKDROP – From the outset the Trump administration displayed a very specific strategy where respect toward China’s leadership was coupled with visible praise for their business acumen and kind words toward the culture of the Chinese people.
This became evident in Mar-a-largo when Prime Minister Xi Jinping and President Trump spent a weekend getting to know each other.
While the surface impression of the relationship is geopolitical adversaries, President Trump has also positioned himself inwardly toward the Chinese people as a modern counter cultural figure not concerned with political correctness and not ashamed of his business success.   This approach is intensely well received in the bamboo forest.
In a culture where the political and sociological influences have historically presented an outlook of affluence and influence as the measure of success, the image of unabashed and unapologetic opulent Trump represents the external personification of this perspective.
Quite simply, it becomes impossible for China’s control authority to ridicule a successful businessman -now influential politician- when they have been selling that image as an honorable goal for decades amid their own culture. The timing is remarkable in consequence.
Simultaneous to this impression, and in a very methodical plan to counter the expansive influence of China, President Trump has used the scale of the U.S. economy to create massive changes in geopolitical economic landscape.
While Trump’s Grandkids sing sweet Mandarin Chinese songs to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyaun (Xi’s wife and herself a cultural icon), he has simultaneously cultivated a powerful counter-leverage position with India’s Prime Minister Modi. In essence, President Trump has positioned himself -and as a consequence the United States- as a powerhouse to be courted by both sides.
India and China are direct and consequential economic adversaries.  President Trump has maneuvered our own U.S. economic policy into the position where that competitive dynamic is now leverage for U.S. economic engagement, trade deals, national security and long-term interests.
It is not coincidental that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson first injected the term “Indo-Pacific” into the geopolitical lexicon of U.S. policy.   It’s a brilliant strategy and paying huge dividends. Bigly.
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In the morning (their time 10am) / evening (our time 8pm), President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will depart Tokyo en route to Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea.

In the afternoon, the President will have lunch with troops from the United States and the Republic of Korea. The President will then receive an operational briefing. Later in the afternoon, the President and First Lady will participate in an arrival ceremony. The President and the First Lady will then participate in a guest book signing.
The President will then have a bilateral meeting with President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea, before having an expanded meeting. Following the meetings, the President will walk with President Moon.
The President and the First Lady will then have tea and take photographs with President Moon. The President will hold a joint press conference with President Moon. In the evening, the President and the First Lady will attend a state dinner.
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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend a State Dinner in Japan as guests of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Mrs. Akie Abe at the Akasaka Palace.  At the beginning of the dinner both the Prime Minister and the President offer toasts.

[Transcript] PRIME MINISTER ABE: (As interpreted.) Good evening, everyone. My name is Shinzo Abe. I’m extremely delighted to host tonight’s banquet here at the State Guest House in honor of the very first visit to Japan by my dear friend, President Trump, and Madam First Lady, Ms. Melania Trump.
Yesterday’s golf diplomacy between Donald and me attracted so much attention, and we actually made everything public, except for the score. And, through golf, we could demonstrate to the world how strong the bond is between Japan and the United States.
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During a very powerful and solemn part of President and First Lady Trump’s visit to Japan, Mr. and Mrs. Trump stand side-by-side with the families of people abducted by North Korean regime.  In a moving statement President Trump vows to do his earnest best to work with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and to help get them back.
President Trump and First Lady Melania, together with Prime Minister Abe and Mrs Abe stand in front row of two rows of victims.  A total of 16 family members of abductees and one former abductee.   No U.S. President has ever drawn attention to this issue. Both leaders delivered short remarks:

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Personally I hold a slow burning fuse…. As a general disposition I also find no value in cussing.  However, there are times in the course of current events when a person steps forth that is so arrogant, so condescending, and reflects behavior that is so self-serving, so genuinely and painfully a fraud of the highest order; that there’s just not enough tongue to bite.  Fuck George Bush – both of them.

The former presidents have penned a book waxing philosophically about their losing control of the republican party.  In the title of the book they have the audacity to call themselves “The Last Republicans”. :::gag:::
Within their high-minded views of their own importance, i.e. as gatekeepers of things righteous within the body politic, they can’t even see their pontificating elitism and how that condescending arrogance destroyed a cherished part of our nation; our middle-class.  CONSIDER:

NEWSWEEK – Both former President Bushes had choice words for current President Donald Trump in a new book scheduled to be published later this month, with the elder Bush reportedly calling the billionaire commander-in-chief a “blowhard” and flatly stating he does not “like” him.

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Against the backdrop of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, conducting a massive sweep of corrupt Saudi officials, President Trump and King Salman release a readout of their phone call:

WHITE HOUSE – President Donald J. Trump spoke yesterday with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. King Salman expressed his condolences for the recent terrorist attack in New York City. President Trump thanked the King for his support and emphasized Americas commitment to defeating ISIS.
The leaders also discussed the continuing threat of Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen and last nights intercepted missile attack on Riyadh. They emphasized the importance of countering extremist ideologies and championing moderation and tolerance. (more…)