Ben Rhodes

Yeah, he's obsessed with these people.

But the core point is you're not going to charm him or persuade him, right?

The charm is these sycophantic texts and praise.

I mean, the Mark Rutte thing.

We should just spend a minute on this cloud, right?

I mean, NATO needs to toss that guy overboard.

Not that they will, but I will defend your policies on Ukraine on television, he's saying, like policies that run directly counter to what NATO wants or what the rest of NATO wants.

But, like, they've tried that.

You need leverage.

Like, not persuasion, not charm.

You need to show you've got skin in the game.

I would say one of the reasons the European leaders don't do it, right, is that they feel politically weak.

Like, their approval ratings are in the shitter.

I would say maybe one of the reasons why your approval ratings are in the shitter is because you look weak, right?

Toughen up.

Like, toughen up.

You might actually, like, get a little bump at home.

The recent people are probably going to the AFD in Germany or the National Rally in France or Nigel Farage in the UK is because at least they look like, quote-unquote, strong leaders, right?

Kira Starmer, show some fucking backbone, man.

Like, if you want to face down Nigel Farage, like, show that you will do that by defending British...