Leaders used as props in Trump's trashy show

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle.
Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make.
Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy".
Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day.
Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade.
Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files.
If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk.
Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people.
Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch.
Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for.
It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges.
- Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator.
- Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus
YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry.
"I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst.
"Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got."
Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."

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• The Age

The ‘sandwich generation' and the age of caring

Pressing question It was once not much more than a figure of speech 'the president has his finger on the button'. Now I want to know exactly what pressing that button will mean. Elizabeth Howcroft, Hawthorn Human rights for all In response to your correspondent (Letters, 20/6), first, describing Israel's actions since 2006 as ″⁣restraint″⁣ ignores reality. Its withdrawal was followed by a blockade of Gaza, collectively punishing 2.3million people. This siege, intensified since 2023, restricts food, water, medicine, and movement, constituting unlawful collective punishment under international law. Decades of military operations have caused morally unacceptable civilian suffering. Second, labelling Israel the region's ″⁣only democratic state″⁣ whitewashes its systemic discrimination against Palestinians. Within Israel, Palestinian citizens face overwhelming inequality. In the occupied territories, millions live under military rule without basic rights. Leading human rights organisations, including Israeli ones, conclude this system meets the definition of apartheid. Finally, while criticising neighbouring states, your correspondent overlooks that Israel's prolonged occupation, settlement expansion (illegal under international law), and actions in Gaza represent a severe violation of Palestinian rights. Calling for accountability isn't scapegoating; it's demanding adherence to universal human rights. Paul Evans, Carrum Downs Talking obstacles Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Iran should return to the table to negotiate on nuclear disarmament. It did that in 2015 when, with the Obama government, it agreed to restrict uranium enrichment. In 2017, new president Donald Trump dumped the deal. Why should the Iranians believe anything would be different today? Now both Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu want to inflict more attacks on Iran. Wong couldn't be ignorant of this history, so the question is why is she calling for negotiations when she should be aware that neither the Israelis nor Trump would actually want to take part in them in a meaningful way? Noel Turnbull, Port Melbourne Tax reset, please Congratulations to Treasurer Jim Chalmers for acting on tax reform and national productivity (″⁣Gentle Jim levels path to reform″⁣, 21/6). With ″⁣gotcha″⁣ questions and negative reporting of any tax change, no wonder he avoided this at the election. Neither major party made it an issue. Even with balanced discussion and logical rationalisation of taxes, there will be lobbying by vested interests. The Ken Henry Tax Review of 2009 offered 138 recommendations. These included one that would raise much-needed revenue – the Resource Super Profits Tax. This was sunk by the mining industry. In fact, very few of those tax review recommendations were implemented. Australia clearly needs a tax reset, integrated with productivity and overall fairness considerations. Perhaps Ken Henry can assist. John Hughes, Mentone Not really a majority It is true, as your correspondent says (Letters, 20/6), that Donald Trump was comfortably elected, but we should be aware of what this means in America. Only a minority of eligible US voters (less than a third) actually cast a vote for him. Well over 30 per cent preferred Kamala Harris while the largest group, about 35 per cent, did not vote. To say that most Americans really wanted another Trump administration is stretching reality. Peter McCarthy, Mentone On limited time Benjamin Netanyahu claims regime change is his aim in Iran and Gaza. It seems like regime maintenance – his own, due to the biggest security failure in Israel, on his watch. Whenever the bombings cease, his political career is done. Patrick Alilovic, Pascoe Vale South Blackadder returns US President and Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump's 'very clever ruse to lull the Iranians into a sense of complacency' (' Trump buys himself time, and opens up new options as Israel goes all out ', 21/6), is the sort of 'cunning plan' you might expect from Private S. Baldrick in Blackadder. Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills Bombs over boots Remembering the Iraq invasion, the US will no doubt prefer bunker-busting bombs to boots on the ground. Greg Curtin, Nunawading Heart of the matter Life mimics art, again: Monash Health is having its Yes, Minister moment (″⁣Madness as $600m heart hospital cuts theatre, beds', 21/6). No point in building a state-of-the-art facility if it cannot meet the demand for care. Another example of what can happen when public health services are run by bureaucrats and bean-counters not medical professionals. Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor A selfish kiss Your correspondent (Letters, 20/6) implies that King Priam's display of humility was a peacemaking exercise. It was nothing of the sort. His kiss of Achilles' hand was for the entirely selfish motive of retrieving Patroclus' body. The handover of Helen, which might have ended the war, was a step the Trojans would not take.