By Matt Underwood German defence minister urges Trump to apologise for Afghanistan remarks. Really? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Honestly, the very idea of it feels a bit… well, let’s just say it’s a long shot. I can’t help but chuckle at the audacity of it all. It’s like asking a shark to apologize for, you know, being a shark. The notion of Donald Trump issuing a heartfelt apology for anything, especially when it comes to something as sensitive as remarks about Afghanistan, seems, putting it mildly, unlikely.
The general sentiment seems to be that apologies just aren’t in his playbook. He’s built a brand, a persona, around never admitting fault, never showing weakness. To apologize, as many people have pointed out, would require him to acknowledge being wrong, to concede that he perhaps didn’t have all the facts, or that his words were ill-considered. And that, frankly, is something he seems incapable of doing. The level of self-immolation required for him to apologize for something he said, is beyond comprehension. The man’s entire ethos is centered on the idea of being infallible.
The comments made about Trump’s past actions are very telling. He’s never apologized for anything in the past, and there’s no real reason to believe that he would start now. There’s a cynicism baked into the discussion, with good reason. People have a hard time seeing any genuine sincerity behind a potential apology. If there was a half-hearted attempt, it would likely be motivated by politics, or to avoid some sort of negative consequence. It’s tough to imagine him genuinely feeling remorse.
It’s been suggested that he’s made gestures towards the UK, perhaps because he has business interests there. But Germany? Not so much. There’s no financial incentive. Without that, there’s little chance he would even consider it. The lack of any real connection or potential gain makes the likelihood even smaller. It’s hard to imagine him doing something purely out of a sense of responsibility or respect.
The sheer impracticality of it all makes the whole situation almost comical. It’s like tilting at windmills. It’s been said that, if he were to apologize, it would just be more lies. The words would be meaningless. Trump’s known to say one thing and do another. Any potential apology would be seen as insincere and performative, and therefore would only do more harm than good. It’s a sad state of affairs when the expectation is so low.
The consensus is that Trump operates in a realm where personal accountability simply doesn’t exist. The idea of him taking any responsibility for his words or actions is almost foreign. He doesn’t have the personality, and has shown no past indications of ever doing so. He would never take responsibility or show any sense of remorse.
His political opponents have little to no chance of getting him to apologise. He seems to be in a bubble where he is always right, where he is never wrong. It’s a sad reality, but it’s the reality we’re stuck with. It really does sound like a hopeless situation.