The inconsistent interpretations of the deal could possibly be owing to the fact that it was hastily pulled together over the course of an hour and 10 minutes between Trump and Akazawa on Tuesday, according to the FT, which cited “officials familiar with the U.S.-Japan talks.”
And, moreover, “Japanese officials said there was no written agreement with Washington—and no legally binding one would be drawn up.”
Some are thus beginning to wonder whether Trump’s avowed “largest deal in history” even technically counts as a deal at all. Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on X: “If something like this is not ‘papered’ it isn’t really a deal.”
Even if it’s “papered”, a deal with Trump is worth as much as Trump’s willingness to respect his own commitments. And his record isn’t stellar.
Anyway, like everything else, Trump didn’t want a deal: he wanted something to announce to distract from the Epstein files.
The Art of the Thing That Sort of Vaguely Looks Like a Deal Unless You Look Closer.
🦭💨
Wait, people still think Trump tells the truth about stuff?
For low values of “people.”
