Trump’s foreign calls raise controversy

Over the past couple of weeks, President Donald Trump has made phone calls to several prominent world leaders in order to further his immigration plan to ‘”keep America for the Americans.” His calls have raised nationwide controversy.

Trump’s radical proposals and temperamental behaviors have created a continuous fear about America’s future foreign relationships. Below are perhaps the two most controversial calls our commander-in-chief has made throughout the course of his early presidency:

Australia

“This was the worst call by far,” President Trump said to the Washington Post.

President Donald Trump made a call to Malcolm Turnbull, Australian Prime Minister, early in February on his thirteenth day in office. The twenty-five minute conversation  potentially threatened the important relationship between America and Australia, one of our biggest allies. The core of the issue relied on the role of the two nations upon the relocation of refugees and immigrants from mainly Muslim countries.

What Trump has failed to realize during the discussion was that Australia, like the United States, has been a major contributor of admitting people fleeing poverty and persecution in nearby countries. The Australian government and the Refugee Council of Australia have helped put millions of dollars towards balancing border security and ensuring protection to allow people to apply for asylum instead of sending them back to where they are in danger.

The bulk of the issue descended from former president Barack Obama’s previous secret deal with Prime Minister Turnbull to admit more than one thousand refugees from Australia in order to help an ally that has serious issues with asylum seekers. In exchange, Australia agreed to allow the entrance of refugees from different Central American countries including Honduras and El Salvador, which are some of the most dangerous countries in the world.

“Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal,” President Trump tweeted in response to finding out the news. 

Trump’s immature and offensive Twitter comment reflects the Australian call in a nutshell. What was supposed to be a one hour friendly call by America’s new president became a twenty-five minute back-slash on the Australian prime minister about refugee agreements.

According to the United States Department of State, Australia has been a key American ally, who has fought alongside the United States in every significant conflict since WWI. Injuring this diplomatic contact could damage the symbol of peace and stability in Asia and the Pacific.

Mexico

A striking conversation between Mexican President Peña Nieto and President Donald Trump has been released to the Associated Press in late January, creating nationwide protests. The hour long call took a particular focus on the American-Mexican border control and disputes about the financement of a wall separating the two nations.

“You have a bunch of bad hombres [Spanish for bad men] down there, you aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it,” President Trump said.

The precedent quote showcases the dangerous, hurtful and immature language Trump has been using mindlessly, way too frequently, without second-thinking his decision. Geraldo Rivera, a conservative Fox News correspondent, bluntly but quite truthfully commented on Trump’s error: “I love Trump, but what a dumb remark,” he said. “How would you like ‘drunken Irish’? Or ‘greedy Jew’? I mean, seriously: ‘bad hombre’?”

The American president has not only increased tensions upon the diplomatic relationship between the US and Mexico, but also humiliated Mexicans, who are forced to witness the ruthless commentary Trump has made towards their country and their people.

Despite the discussion, however, Mexico’s stance on Trump’s radical nationalism is quite evident: “ I have said time and time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall,” President Nieto said.