This is part of a pattern: Standing on the world stage as the face of the United States, Trump has routinely fumbled basic facts about history, foreign policy and economics. Critics argue that he puts his foot in his mouth every time he leaves the country.“The President of the US is breathtakingly ignorant,” tweeted conservative lawyer George Conway after the comments about Western liberalism in Osaka, Japan. The president and his allies maintain that he’s consistently underestimated and does not receive credit for his successes. Trump supporters like his unconventional approach, and they take pride in his apparent embrace of the "madman theory" of foreign policy. Trade is a notable example: Trump has either knowingly made many false statements about tariffs to the American people, or he does not understand the most basic principles of how they work. Either explanation is plausible."
At www.washingtonpost.com
