Two Catholic bishops have expressed regret about agreeing to a White House meeting that produced a publicly distributed photo of them praying with Donald Trump.
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, in a statement titled “A Public Apology,” said Sunday that he had received many questions and comments — some of them distraught — about the meeting on Thursday which he and 11 other bishops attended.
He said the meeting was speedily publicized by the White House with photos and a video, without consent of the participants, and less than two weeks away from the midterm elections.
Imagine being so naive to believe that it wouldn’t be politicized - or that the White House believed in consent.
“Here, let me take a photo with this politician. I’m sure he wouldn’t politicize it, right?”
But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Catholic clergy are gullible. Practically a job requirement, right?
No consent required. The White House is a government building and no expectation of privacy exists.
Legally yes.
But professionally there should have existed a courtesy to where the clergy could have been asked if they wanted the photo of them standing next to the dementia riddled rapist felon posted to the wh propaganda channels and maybe been given the ability to say no.
I don’t know why they even entertained a meeting with the psychopathic toddler’s regime. That was the real mistake.
…was probably the entire point of the exercise, from the regime’s perspective, and I can’t understand how anyone headed to the White House wouldn’t understand this.
I agree that agreeing to stand next to the dementia riddled pedophile rapist felon was the obvious thing to avoid.
Can’t believe no one yet has mentioned that it’s not all public. The West Wing, the Oval Office, and private working or living quarters inside the White House are restricted areas where casual photography is prohibited, and access or photography requires special credentials, an invitation, and direct Secret Service supervision.
WH audiences are a matter of public record. These people weren’t playing with a full deck anyway, but this is some idiocy on their part.
As a world leader you have to strive for diplomacy with everyone, and especially psychopathic toddlers, for the good of your people.
Yeah, that’s why Roosevelt and Churchill were so buddy-buddy with Hitler in the late 30s and through the 40s.
Oh, that’s right, they weren’t.
Part of diplomacy is communicating when there are lines that cannot be crossed without consequences.
“Buddy buddy” and “diplomatic” are not the same thing.
Counterpoint, if there’s nothing to be gained besides a loss then don’t bother. Frankly speaking we defer far too much to these milksops, Putin and Trump should both be treated with utter and open contempt the type where you snear at them and walk off if they approach. There’s nothing respectable about Trump and with the sole exceptions of lower government entities there’s nothing to be gained by interacting with him, if you ain’t a mayor or governor then the only words he should here from someone is “fuck off”.
Frankly speaking he really only deserves to be gunned down the next time he has the gall to visit a foreign power. He has long since waived his right to a trial via his actions.
Geopolitics extends will beyond your city and state.
I’m aware, what I’m saying is that the state and cities are the only ones who should do anything other than ignore this fuckwit at best. Unless you can somehow squize something out of him there’s no point in playing nice, so long as it doesn’t actively risk actual danger do whatever to him. And given how the US is actively collapsing in on itself I’d argue there’s only gains to be made by being antagonistic towards Trump and the US as a whole, frankly with this Iran war shit the rest of the world should be issuing general embargos, denials of port, and bounties from Trump his kin and his kith.
These bishops are mostly rightwingers, so they’re playing a delicate balancing act between kissing Trump’s incontinent ass and not pissing off Pope Bob enough to get fired.