When Disrespect Becomes Foreign Policy
Nothing says “I am your Master and you are my pathetic servant” more than sitting a head of state or foreign government down and completely humiliating him in front of a large group of journalists; something that has become a regular occurrence during the second Trump presidency.
From America’s European “partners” to America’s Arab “allies,”, Trump appears hellbent on humiliating every so-called “leader” he encounters. Let us examine the recent humiliation of the Lebanese and Syrian “Presidents,”, as well as the new Iraqi Prime Minister at the hands of Donald Trump.
Joseph Aoun
We begin with Lebanon, Joseph Aoun’s visit to Washington and the Oval Office meeting which took place between Aoun and Trump on July 21.
After arriving at the White House and being received by Trump, the two held a private bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, and according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Presidency’s media office on the evening of July 21, Aoun “stressed the urgent need for a full ‘Israeli’ withdrawal from Lebanese territory,“, however, what unfolded once journalists were brought into the Oval Office not only casts serious doubts on the statement itself, but once again exposes how Aoun and his entire team are completely disconnected from reality.
During the public appearance and when taking questions from the press, Trump was asked when the “Israeli” Army would fully withdraw from Lebanon and if there was a timeline for that, Trump’s answer was the following:
“They’re in the process of doing that. They’re in the process of redeploying to other sections. And again, they get along very well. That was a great agreement they signed with Lebanon and they’re redeploying.”
Despite Trump deliberately using the word “redeployment” instead of “withdrawal”, a word that clearly signals that “Israel” – with Washington’s blessing of course – has no intention of withdrawing from any of the land it illegally occupies in Lebanon, Aoun remains silent and does not publicly interrupt or challenge Trump on that specific point during the press exchange.
Later, and when asked by a journalist about whether the new Syrian regime could become involved against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Trump claimed that the new Syrian Regime “would like to come in and do something with Hezbollah,” adding that he thought it “would be very effective.” Despite Trump promoting the idea of a Syrian military intervention in Lebanon against the Resistance, Aoun once again remained silent and did not publicly reject or respond to the suggestion during the exchange.
So, despite media claims that Aoun had travelled to Washington to request an “Israeli” withdrawal, as well as the many pathetic attempts by those aligned with Washington to paint Aoun as some champion of sovereignty, the public humiliation of Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office on July 21, 2026, paints a very different picture of the “Lebanese President”, and proves what many of us have known all along; Joseph Aoun is nothing more than a servant of a foreign agenda; a low-level employee of the Empire.
As for Trump and the Epstein Regime in Washington:
Lebanon’s sovereignty… means nothing, Lebanese civilians… mean nothing, Lebanese towns and villages… mean nothing, Lebanon’s infrastructure… means nothing, Joseph Aoun and his entire presidency… mean absolutely nothing!
Al-Jolani a.k.a. “Ahmed al-Shara’a”
Next, we have former proto-ISIS operative, founder of al-Qaeda in Syria and self-appointed “Syrian President,” Abu Muhammad al-Jolani a.k.a. “al-Shara’a”, whose recent meeting, and subsequent humiliation, took place on July 8 on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit held in Ankara, Turkey,
During the press conference, Trump not only bragged about how no other US president had done more for “Israel” than him, but also bragged about past actions and decisions related to occupied al-Quds and the occupied Golan Heights; mainly the relocation of the US Embassy and the recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the illegitimate entity’s so-called capital, as well as the illegal decision to recognize “Israeli” sovereignty over the illegally occupied Golan Heights. However, despite Jolani’s desperate attempts over the years to paint himself as a “liberator” whose focus is Syria’s sovereignty and the liberation of al-Quds, the self-appointed “Syrian President” sat there completely silent, offering no objection and did not remotely attempt to defend Syria’s sovereignty in any way, shape or form.
Moreover, Trump once again floated the idea of the Syrian Regime directly intervening militarily in Lebanon on behalf of the “Israeli” occupation, stating:
“I suggested to ‘Israel’ to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they do a better job of doing it.”
“They could help. We’ll find out. I think we’re making a lot of progress, but they could help. He would do—he would do a very good job.”
However, and once again, the so-called “Mujahid and Conqueror” sat there quietly, and did not verbally interrupt, correct, or push back against Donald Trump’s statements regarding a Syrian intervention against Hezbollah, and completely ignored Trump’s comments about Lebanon and Hezbollah when he took the microphone and it was his turn to speak.
What is most interesting about this entire encounter is that, despite al-Julani being America’s latest plaything in the region, receiving much public praise from Trump over the past several months, the US President still took it upon himself to completely humiliate his new “ally” in front of an entire room of journalists, because like Lebanon, Syria’s sovereignty and so-called “Presidency” … mean nothing!
Ali al-Zaidi
Finally, we have Iraq’s newly elected Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, who travelled to Washington and met with Trump at the White House on July 14.
After Trump and Al-Zaidi concluded their first bilateral meeting, reporters were brought into the Oval Office for the press portion which followed. Trump wasted no time and immediately began boasting about how he was the one who chose Iraq’s new PM, and how Al-Zaidi’s appointment was “good for America” and that the previous government was “unacceptable” to Washington. Al-Zaidi responded by thanking Trump and ignoring the claims regarding Trump’s hand in his appointment, as well as Trump’s remarks regarding the previous Iraqi government, and instead, shifted the conversation by talking about the US-Iraqi economic partnership.
As the press conference continued, Trump proceeded to deliver his usual arrogant remarks, mainly regarding how the United States was planning to steal Iraq’s oil. However, the worst was yet to come, and it came in the form of Trump boasting about the 2020 assassinations of Martyrs Hajj Qassem Soleimani (ra) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (ra) on Iraqi soil:
“…I killed him in my first administration. Had I not, it might be a different story today. He was a mad genius. He was a mad — probably a mad man, but he was a general and he had total control over the country. And I actually think the leaders of Iran were afraid of Soleimani.
But I killed him and, by the way, with him went a very bad person also, they happened to be meeting each other at the airport, and a very bad person from Iraq happened to be — a leader of Iraq, happened to be killed in that same incident. So, I don’t know if I did you a favor or not; I’ve never asked you that question. You probably would know better than me…”
Unfortunately, and instead of publicly challenging Trump’s egregious statement, asserting himself, defending Iraqi sovereignty and condemning the United States for this blatant act of aggression and terrorism which not only targeted an Iraqi citizen on Iraqi soil, but targeted two heroes who were instrumental in defeating US-backed ISIS, as well as saving Iraq and the wider region from the scourge of Takfiri hordes funded by Washington, al-Zaidi responded with the following:
“At that time, I was not in politics. But my visit, I’d like to talk about the future, now like we are fed up with the facts.”
Unfortunately, al-Zaidi’s response to Trump’s egregious statement – if we can even consider such a pathetic statement a “response” – offered:
No Iraqi counter-narrative… no defense or assertion of sovereignty… no defense of a highly respected and loved Iraqi citizen, political figure and commander… no defense of two highly respected heroes who saved Iraq and region from a demonic US-backed ISIS insurgency… and no condemnation whatsoever of the aggressor or the heinous act of terrorism committed by the United States on Iraqi soil!
So, unlike Aoun and Jolani who sat there quietly while an arrogant Trump completely humiliated them, Al-Zaidi chose to respond. However, the new Iraqi Prime Minister’s responses were not only weak and pathetic, but completely disgraceful, so disgraceful that one wishes that Al-Zaidi would have just kept his mouth shut instead of humiliating himself and his newly appointed government even more than Trump had already done.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, and despite these so-called “leaders” allowing themselves to be publicly humiliated by Trump, many individuals will still rush to defend their shameless and inexcusable acts of public capitulation before the enemy, a ruthless enemy that is nothing more than a degenerate war criminal, pedophile, and child killer. However, for us, the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and the Ahlul Bayt (as), we refuse to accept these despicable acts of capitulation, and instead, are reminded of the noble words of the Master of Martyrs Imam Hussain (as), which were valiantly spoken before a Satanic enemy army of tens of thousands, who had set out to slaughter him, his family, as well as his loyal companions on the blistering plains of Karbala:
“Indeed, this world has changed and disguised itself. Its goodness has departed, leaving behind only a meager remnant, like the few drops left in the bottom of a vessel, and a wretched life like a barren, poisoned pasture.
Do you not see that the truth is no longer acted upon, and falsehood is no longer forbidden? In such circumstances, the believer longs to meet Allah while standing for the truth. For I see death as nothing but happiness, and life with the oppressors as nothing but misery and weariness.”
As our beloved Martyred Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei (ra) reminded us on multiple occasions, these noble words from Imam Hussain (as) not only serve as the ultimate and eternal blueprint for how Muslims must conduct themselves when dealing with a Satanic and morally bankrupt enemy such as the United States of America but also serve as a blueprint for all mankind alike.
For those who want to live with dignity and be free of humiliation, a God-given right for all human beings – regardless of race, religion or creed – must not only refuse to give in to any power that wishes to subjugate them, but must also categorically reject any so-called “leader” who would happily place his hand in the hand of a degenerate war criminal and allow himself to be publicly humiliated in such a grotesque manner.
Finally, and to those individuals who still have the audacity to defend such actions and make excuses for these so-called “leaders,” as well as any head of state or government that chooses humiliation over dignity, I leave you with another saying from the Master of Martyrs, Imam Hussain (as):
“If you do not believe in God and the Hereafter, at least be free in this world [from tyranny and arrogance].”
