“DAD has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration. All we want is peace around the world.” – Barron Trump on his X account
This post, now taken down by Donald Trump’s son Barron, has given rise to a slew of news reports examining the unprecedented invitation, and speculation on the response it is likely to receive.
According to State Department records, it should be noted that no world leader has made an official
visit to see a new American president sworn in.
Adding to the suspense from the reports, which have made it the top story in media
reporting, is this hot microphone leak of a purported conversation held by several Trump administration officials on the inauguration invitation list.
For obvious reasons, the names of the officials involved are too sensitive to divulge.
Purported conversation picked up from hot mic
Official A: Look, guys. Susie (Whiles, White House chief of staff) says that Donnie (Donald Trump) wants this to be the biggest inauguration bash in history. “The greatest show on earth”.
Official B: He also wants this to provide a great start to his term. He has responded to those sceptical about his invitation list and saying ‘Wow, that is a little risky, isn’t it?’
Trump said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see what happens. But we like to take little chances.”
Official C: Getting Xi (Jinping, China president) will definitely be a game changer. Inside news is that he is unlikely to attend unless Trump can assure that his speech will not have anything negative about China.
Beijing’s Washington boys want Trump to emphasise that he is not going to continue (Joe) Biden’s policies aimed at slowing down China’s progress, and to assure that the new administration will explore areas for cooperation and mutual benefit. In deeds, not words.
Official A: Okay, then. Let’s keep the door open for a Xi surprise. What about the rest of Asia? Can we get a lineup of our allies’ leaders to show the world that we have solid support in Asia Pacific?
Official B: No worries on that. The cocktail circuit of ambassadors has been buzzing with so many dropping hints on how they love Donnie’s triumph and are dying to be at the inaugural.
Official C: We should be able to get a good Quad attendance.
Official A: Yup. India has been saying nice things about Trump, and (Narendra) Modi (Indian prime minister) needs all our help to make sure his regime stays stable.
Official B: More than that, Modi is going to be
critical in slowing down BRICS. (Vladimir) Putin (Russian president)
and Xi are making dedollarisation their target and Donnie wants to stop this.
Official C: Jaishankar (S. Jaishankar, India external affairs minister) has already gone to town in pointing out Modi for helping Trump on Quad during his first term.
He has also responded to Trump’s threat to punish countries for dedollarising international trade by imposing 100% tariffs on BRICS countries, saying since the US was India’s largest trade partner, New Delhi has no interest in hurting
the dollar.
Official A: I hear Kash Patel (Trump nominee for FBI director) is a fellow Gujarati as Modi. That is going to make some difference to India definitely.
Official B: Leaders of QUAD, Five Eyes and Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) should be given
front row seats. But we will want to make sure that (Justin) Trudeau (Canadian prime minister) and Modi are not seated together. Those two really hate each other’s guts.
Official C: Hey, that is not a bad
idea. Counter-intuitive. Seat them together. Get CNN and CBC to focus, and then to pan on Donnie – ‘Donnie brings peace to Canada India relations’.
What a coup that would be. That, together with Ukraine, will make Donnie go into the history books
as one of the world’s greatest peacemakers. He is going to love this, I tell you.
Official A: Let’s do it. We have to repair the damage from Trump’s tweet calling Trudeau the ‘governor of the great state of Canada’. It is true, but my Ottawa friends are pissed off with Canada being labelled as the United States’s 51st state.
Official B: Terrible poll figures for Trudeau. Donnie knows Trudeau needs all the help he can get, so he will continue to squeeze him.
Down south, the Australian media has been giving Trump a hard time. Let’s make sure that they know we don’t like it. Give Albo (Anthony Albanese, Australian prime minister) less attention.
Official C: Yeah, big mouth (Kevin) Rudd (Australian ambassador to the US) too. Donnie can’t stand the sight of him.
Official A: He should be gone before long. Their boys have been trying to suck up to us big time now that they don’t have Biden and need us to deliver on Aukus (the trilateral partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US).
Official B: I hear through the grapevine that Albo is angling to organise a victory tour for Donnie, but he is unlikely to agree.
Official C: Let’s put Albo with the Pacific island crew. One thing is for sure. Donnie wants Australia, Japan, Taiwan and others to pay a lot more for staying on in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, we have to make sure that Yoon (Suk Yeol, South Korean president) stays out.
Official A: I’m sure Yoon will be trying his best to have us save his skin but frankly, he is a lost cause.
Official B: I found him a refreshing change, especially when he sang American Pie during his visit. Nice voice.
Official C: I remember that. Really something. But it looks like it is Jailhouse Rock next for Yoon. Just as well that it was under Sleepy Joe. That man’s now toxic, and don’t forget, Trump is still looking to do a deal with Kim Jong Un (North Korean leader).
Official A: Okay. There is also Bongbong Marcos (Philippines president) to consider. He has been amongst the first to congratulate Donnie after his victory, and his boys have been ringing us off the hook to make sure he is invited.
Official B: Yes. Same with Modi. Did you know that Jaishanker announced that Modi’s call was one of the first three from world leaders that Trump took.
In Bongbong’s case, the Filipino media is making a big deal of
the connection through Imelda (Marcos). According to them, the president’s mother and Trump have known each other from way back during her visits to the UN in New York and during their time in exile in Hawaii. May have stayed in his hotel. You know, personal connections are important for Donnie.
Official A: We have to make sure that the inauguration is a global spectacle. This will remind the world of America’s leadership – in politics, economics and showmanship.
Official B: That should be easy to do, with the millions of dollars pouring in from our tech titans and every leader wanting an invitation and the chance to shake Donnie’s hand.
Lim Teck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
