Seeking to cut $610 billion from health care for the poor, and $192 billion from food assistance to 43 million Americans struggling to make ends meet, while spending millions of dollars on European jamborees will probably strike most people as an example of bad and insensitive public policy.
Given the vacuity of last week`s European meetings, one may question why was it necessary for the U. president to spend four days and all that money to repeat for the nth time to people who took $165 billion net out of their U. trade in 2016 what he has been telling them over the last two years.
No European leader has been in any doubt for quite some time that (a) trillions of dollars in U. trade deficits and a soaring net foreign debt of $8.1 trillion could not continue, (b) trade policies would be reviewed with particular attention to countries running systematic and large trade surpluses with the U., (c) the treaty on global warming would be closely scrutinized and (d) U. would insist on all member countries honoring their financial obligations to the NATO alliance.
All these issues have been explained in bilateral and multilateral forums and constantly amplified by the European media.
The White House should have taken a cue from Italy`s former (and most probably future) Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Outraged by do-nothing summits in Brussels, he scolded the spendthrift Eurocrats for squandering public money and precious time on matters where a simple SMS could have taken care of their trivial agenda.
Yes, tweeting would have saved a lot of money and an embarrassing French and German media portrayal of a "confused and isolated America.
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