Isn't it amazing how comfortable Trump is

[Pototan]

with royals and dictators and how he descends into difficult relationships with freely elected leaders from strong Democracies.

[Irish_Dem]

1. The dictators have been lavishing him with gifts and cash for some time.

They are not even hiding it any longer.

Trump is easy to manipulate with cash and flattery.

(Just like members of the Supreme Court.)

Western leaders are not offering bribes and are refusing to go along with Trump's insanity
to a large extent?

[Pototan]

2. I agree with your assessment

[John1956PA]

5. Praise, homage, tribute . . .

. . . those are a few of his favorite things.

[Irish_Dem]

10. Yes he is so easy to bribe and manipulate.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

7. There is a lot more to it than just getting stuff from them....

He genuinely admires and wants to be like them. He hasn't spent as much time in this term lavishing praise on them by calling them tough and strong and smart, but he's made his love of what they do and how they rule their countries well known. His comfort with them is because he admires and wants to be like them. He sees leaders that respect democratic principles as weak. He doesn't like or respect them. The love of autocrats is what he seeks. The gifts and praise he gets from them only bolsters his fragile ego. He would still be more comfortable with them even if they gave him nothing of value. Un showed us all that by writing him "love letters."

[Irish_Dem]

11. Exactly. Yes he greatly admires their power, control, wealth, brutality, cruelty.

He wants what they have.

[ms liberty]

9. He's a starf****r. He's always had that look in his eyes, the look on his face

When he's around the dictator types, and then when he's around leaders of democracies he acts the arrogant ass.
He's always had that unctuous attitude with the people he wants to ingratiate himself with, right back to the beginning.

[LymphocyteLover]

3. if by amazing, you mean "nauseating and disturbing" then yes

[Pototan]

4. I used the word "comfortable" as you would use it

if underworld figures were seated together at a dinner. Where you or I may be uncomfortable being in the presence of violent criminals, people who admire those types of despicable human beings would show admiration and even jealously,

[LymphocyteLover]

12. yes, indeed

[allegorical oracle]

6. Trump respects dictators and royals because he's convinced himself that he's

a powerful, superior being -- so they're equals. He regards strong, conscientious, law-abiding elected leaders as stupid losers because they won't take advantage of their power to gain money and status.

[JHB]

8. No, it's not. He's always wanted to be one of the "cool kids"

In 1970s NYC, that meant the then-current generation of New York's "old money" families. They wouldn't have anything to do with him, and he played it as them being a bunch of snobs when the fact was he's a loathsome human being and no one wanted him around.

Now his "cool kids" are dictators, and they're happy to butter him up because he's so easy to manipulate.