Donald Trump Mistakes The Quds for The Kurds

[jdnotbyrider]

www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/03/donald-trump-stumbles-and-bristles-during-foreign-policy-question/

Donald J. Trump revealed gaps in his mastery of international affairs during a radio interview on Thursday, appearing to mistake the Quds Force, an Iranian military group, for the Kurds, a Middle Eastern people, and growing testy over questions about foreign leaders.

“You’re asking me names that — I think it’s somewhat ridiculous,” Mr. Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a popular conservative radio show host. “As far as the individual players, of course I don’t know them. I’ve never met them. I haven’t been, you know, in a position to meet them.”

At one point, according to the interview’s transcript, Mr. Hewitt asked Mr. Trump if he was familiar with Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the shadowy commander of Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force.

“Yes, but go ahead, give me a little, go ahead, tell me,” Mr. Trump replied.

“He runs the Quds Forces,” Mr. Hewitt said.

“Yes, O.K., right,” Mr. Trump said.

But Mr. Trump seemed to think Mr. Hewitt was referring to the Kurds, a group with its own language and culture.

Mr. Trump asserted that “the Kurds, by the way, have been horribly mistreated.”

Mr. Hewitt interrupted. “No, not the Kurds, the Quds Forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Forces.”

Mr. Trump tried to recover from the live, on-air tutorial. “Yes, yes,” he said.

He added, “Oh, I thought you said Kurds, Kurds.”

Mr. Trump, a real estate developer and brand manager who has never worked in government, has relatively little experience dealing with foreign governments. But he has boasted of his global reach and international experience as a businessman.

Mr. Hewitt said he was not interested in “gotcha” questions but wanted to be sure Mr. Trump had a baseline of knowledge about foreign leaders.

“On the front of Islamist terrorism, I’m looking for the next commander in chief to know who Hassan Nasrallah is, and Zawahri, and al-Julani, and al-Baghdadi. Do you know the players without a scorecard, yet, Donald Trump?” Mr. Hewitt asked.

Mr. Trump’s answer was strikingly dismissive. “No, you know, I’ll tell you honestly, I think by the time we get to office, they’ll all be changed. They’ll be all gone.”

Making matters worse, Mr. Hewitt asked similar questions on Thursday to Carly Fiorina, a fellow Republican presidential candidate who, like Mr. Trump, has never served in elected office.

But Mrs. Fiorina sounded confident, patient and informed as she discussed the Quds Force, among other subjects.

Asked if she knew the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah, she explained that “Hamas is focused in Palestinian territories. Hezbollah focuses in Beirut and other places, but the truth is, both of them are proxies of Iran. Both of them threaten Israel.”

Mr. Hewitt signaled his approval. “That’s exactly right,” he said.

On Friday morning, Mr. Trump went on the attack, calling Mr. Hewitt a “third-rate radio announcer” during an interview on MSNBC.

Mr. Hewitt, who will help moderate the next Republican presidential debate on Sept. 16, said the insult would not influence his approach to that event.

“His critique won’t change my debate questions or prep,” Hewitt told The Huffington Post.

On the topic of international leaders, Mr. Trump concluded his interview with a touch of his trademark bravado, promising to become an authority on their names as president.

“If they’re still there, which is unlikely in many cases, but if they’re still there, I will know them better than I know you.”

He added, “I will be so good at the military, your head will spin.”

[taratru]

On Friday morning, Mr. Trump went on the attack, calling Mr. Hewitt a “third-rate radio announcer” during an interview on MSNBC.

Right, because anyone who makes me look as stupid as I actually am is somehow not good at their job.

[miniroller]

Sept 4, 2015 12:41:28 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

I do, however, think it's utterly repugnant that he's so insecure about his lack of knowledge that he has to immediately go on the offensive and start hurling insults.

This is absolutely one of the things that scares me the most when imagining him as a future world leader.
(One of the top 6 things...)

[sharknado]

[ttt]

None of his supporters know the difference either, so I don't see this being an issue for him.

[heyjude]

So okay. This is where sexism comes in.

An ignorant female running for VP becomes a national laughing stock with no hope of recovery when she is equally stupid on the campaign trail. But a man running for President gets to sit high on his horse while doing the same.

American society allows men to be stupid because they are men, well, white men anyway, but american society is so much more less forgiving of women are also stupid.

[IIOY]

Sept 4, 2015 14:32:26 GMT -5 heyjude said:

So okay. This is where sexism comes in.

An ignorant female running for VP becomes a national laughing stock with no hope of recevery when she is equally stupid on the campaign trail. But a man running for President gets to sit high on his horse while doing the same.

American society allows men to be stupid because they are men, well, white men anyway, but american society is so much more less forgiving of women are also stupid.

Donald Trump's entire campaign is an exercise in white male privilege.  Imagine any non-white male behaving like this and what the fallout would be.

Have I mentioned how much I hate this clown?

[heyjude]

Sept 4, 2015 14:59:37 GMT -5 incogneato said:

Sept 4, 2015 14:32:26 GMT -5 heyjude said:

So okay. This is where sexism comes in.

An ignorant female running for VP becomes a national laughing stock with no hope of recovery when she is equally stupid on the campaign trail. But a man running for President gets to sit high on his horse while doing the same.

American society allows men to be stupid because they are men, well, white men anyway, but american society is so much more less forgiving of women are also stupid.

Can I say I'm doing my part for equal rights by mocking and loathing him for his stupidity?

I think we all are here. But if he were female there would be a higher level of universal outrage.

[epphd]

Sept 4, 2015 14:32:26 GMT -5 heyjude said:

So okay. This is where sexism comes in.

An ignorant female running for VP becomes a national laughing stock with no hope of recovery when she is equally stupid on the campaign trail. But a man running for President gets to sit high on his horse while doing the same.

American society allows men to be stupid because they are men, well, white men anyway, but american society is so much more less forgiving of women are also stupid.

You mean like this?

Making matters worse, Mr. Hewitt asked similar questions on Thursday to Carly Fiorina, a fellow Republican presidential candidate who, like Mr. Trump, has never served in elected office.

But Mrs. Fiorina sounded confident, patient and informed as she discussed the Quds Force, among other subjects.

HE WAS BEATEN BY A GIRL!!!