{"id":2399563,"date":"2025-02-06T07:54:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T12:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/good-cop-bad-cop-diplomacy-trump-makes-threats-and-diplomats-offer-deals-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T07:56:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T12:56:05","slug":"good-cop-bad-cop-diplomacy-trump-makes-threats-and-diplomats-offer-deals-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/good-cop-bad-cop-diplomacy-trump-makes-threats-and-diplomats-offer-deals-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Good cop, bad cop diplomacy: Trump makes threats, and diplomats offer deals &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgood-cop-bad-cop-diplomacy-trump-makes-threats-and-diplomats-offer-deals-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2399563&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the \u200bcontrasting diplomatic approaches\u2063 of President \u200cDonald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding U.S. foreign policy, likening \u200ctheir interactions to a &#8220;good cop, bad cop&#8221; dynamic. While Trump employs aggressive rhetoric\u2064 and threats to further U.S. interests, Rubio opts \u200dfor a more diplomatic strategy. This contrast \u2064is highlighted in their handling of issues such as the \u2062Panama Canal and Greenland, \u200bwhere Trump has \u200bsuggested the possibility\u200d of military action, while Rubio focuses on negotiations and peaceful resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>The article specifically notes Rubio&#8217;s recent visit to Panama, where he successfully engaged with officials to address \u2062U.S.\u2062 concerns about Chinese influence without invoking threats.In contrast, Trump has expressed willingness to use force if necessary to \u2063secure \u2062U.S. control over the Panama Canal. Rubio&#8217;s emphasis on diplomatic dialog is also evident in discussions about Greenland, \u2062where he promotes a proposal \u2063for it&#8217;s acquisition from Denmark \u200din a peaceful\u200d manner, despite\u2062 Trump\u2019s\u2064 more aggressive \u2063stance.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the article\u200b touches upon Trump&#8217;s hardline\u200b policy\u200d towards\u200c Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, where Trump&#8217;s approach is marked by threats while Rubio seeks diplomatic engagement. The disparity in \u2063their \u200dstyles is explained as stemming \u2063from their differing backgrounds\u2014Rubio&#8217;s extensive foreign policy experience versus Trump&#8217;s more\u2062 impulsive approach.\u200d the\u2064 article illustrates how their contrasting methods could perhaps complement each other in U.S. foreign relations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Good cop, bad cop diplomacy: Trump makes threats, and diplomats offer deals<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1976075\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">President Donald Trump<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> are pushing a united foreign policy agenda, but the juxtaposition between their rhetoric suggests a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">good-cop-bad-cop routine fit<\/a> for criminal interrogations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Rubio is in lock-step with the White House regarding matters such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/panama-canal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Panama Canal<\/a>, repatriation of illegal immigrants, U.S. control of the Gaza Strip, the necessity of greater influence on Greenland&rsquo;s affairs, and the expansion of Chinese power overseas.<\/p>\n<p>However, while Trump is known for his bombastic, often threatening rhetoric in pursuit of U.S. interests, Rubio is taking a softer, more diplomatic approach to achieve the same ends.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former President Donald Trump pats Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on the shoulder during a campaign rally at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition in Miami, Nov. 6, 2022. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This was most recently seen Monday when Rubio visited the Panama Canal to tour facilities and meet with Panamanian officials about U.S. concerns regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Chinese influence<\/a> in the passage&rsquo;s operations.<\/p>\n<p>Trump previously declared he has no reservations about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-senate-republican-john-barrasso-says-gop-is-trying-to-make-biden-a-half-term-president\/\" title=\"Top Senate Republican John Barrasso Says GOP Is Trying To Make Biden A \u2018Half-Term ...\u2019\">taking back control<\/a> of the Panama Canal by force if necessary &mdash; but such threats were not necessary during Rubio&rsquo;s trip.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3309194\/rubio-victory-lap-panama-canal-exit-chinese-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Following his meeting with Rubio<\/a>, President Jose Raul Mulino said the secretary of state conveyed &ldquo;no real threat of retaking the canal or the use of force&rdquo; &mdash; yet the U.S. envoy still left Panama in good spirits after the government agreed to allow its current arrangement with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative to expire.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Yesterday&rsquo;s announcement by President [Mulino] that Panama will allow its participation in the CCP&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative to expire is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/little-league-baseball-player-easton-oliverson-headed-home-after-skull-fracture-surgery\/\" title=\"Little League Baseball Player Easton Oliverson Headed Home After Skull Fracture Surgery\">great step forward<\/a> for US-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of [Trump&rsquo;s] leadership to protect our national security and deliver prosperity for the American people,&rdquo; Rubio wrote Monday on social media.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration is also eyeing the acquisition of Greenland from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/denmark\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Denmark<\/a>, pointing to its strategic value as an Arctic nation close to the U.S. coastline and the Chinese Communist Party&rsquo;s purported interest in using it as its ticket into the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n<p>The president is seeking a mutually beneficial handover of the territory but has said he is &ldquo;not going to commit&rdquo; to ruling out military force as a method of taking it, telling reporters, &ldquo;It might be that you&rsquo;ll have to do something.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rubio is broadcasting a similar level of urgency about the United States&rsquo;s need to get a foothold in Greenland but has chosen to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/national-security\/3306292\/trump-acquiring-greenland-national-interest-marco-rubio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">emphasize the proposal to buy the island nation<\/a> from Denmark peacefully.<\/p>\n<p>&rdquo;This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved,&rdquo; Rubio said last week in an interview with Sirius XM&rsquo;s Megyn Kelly. &ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s put out there what he intends to do &mdash; which is to purchase it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the interview, Rubio explained that Trump&rsquo;s aggressive posture toward world leaders &mdash; often characterized as brutish and belligerent in his demands &mdash; is simply a form of honesty about U.S. priorities and worst-case scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, I think diplomacy, in many cases, works better when you&rsquo;re straightforward, as opposed to using platitudes and language that translates to nothing,&rdquo; Rubio said.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the differences in style probably stem from the vast chasm between the two politicians&rsquo; pre-2025 careers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[Marco Rubio] spent literally years studying some of the more challenging foreign policy problems of the United States with great nuance &mdash; Donald Trump doesn&rsquo;t have that experience,&rdquo; Schanzer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;When [Trump] speaks, he often will rattle cages. He has been a disrupter from the moment he stepped onto the world stage [&hellip;] so in that sense, they may actually end up being a good team &mdash; good cop, bad cop as it were.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A similar dynamic is observable between the U.S. government and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro<\/a>, who is considered an illegitimate president by the Trump administration due to widespread political violence and election irregularities leading up to his third inauguration last month.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has continued to play hardball with Maduro from the Oval Office, successfully ordering the release of kidnapped opposition and referring to his strongman government as a &ldquo;regime.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In response, Maduro has flirted openly with the idea of &ldquo;liberating&rdquo; Puerto Rico from the U.S. in the name of &ldquo;anti-fascism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, when U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell arrived in Caracas last week, seeking to negotiate with Maduro for large-scale repatriation efforts to bring back Venezuelan nationals living illegally in the U.S., the pair were cordial and straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>The exact nature of their discussions is not publicly known, and the Venezuelan government has kept mute about the entire matter, but Grenell not only left with approval for the deportation flight, he also brought home six American detainees.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photo released by Venezuela&rsquo;s presidential press office shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, center, with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s special envoy, left, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. Behind, right, is Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly. (Venezuela&rsquo;s presidential press office, via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Just days later, the U.S. government announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3308462\/trump-ends-temporary-protected-status-venezuelans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">staggered end of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan nationals<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s an unexpected decision at a time when the administration is publicly rebuking the Maduro government, and it remains unclear whether this was part of a carrot-and-stick approach to the bilateral negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio later told Fox News that there were &ldquo;no talks&rdquo; about recognizing the Maduro regime as legitimate and that the negotiations were &ldquo;very simple.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think leaders like Maduro &mdash; no matter how tough they try to be &mdash; they respect Donald Trump. They know this is not a guy who is going to send you a strongly worded letter. He will take action,&rdquo; Rubio said.<\/p>\n<p>He added, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to talk about what those actions are, but he knows, and they know we have many options to inflict serious damage and harm on the Maduro regime.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration&rsquo;s decide-first, ask-questions-later style of doing business was taken to a whole new level with its announcement that the U.S. will take &ldquo;long-term&rdquo; control of the Gaza Strip to facilitate  reconstruction.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s an unexpected and highly contested proposal from the commander in chief, but Rubio has once again thrown his full weight behind the project &mdash; stating that the U.S. must &ldquo;make Gaza beautiful again.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is untraditional foreign policy. I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any other way to put it,&rdquo; Schanzer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1976075\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1976075\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s threats contrast with Rubio&#8217;s diplomatic approach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2399564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP24319771414613.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3817,4551,32402,22940,3634],"class_list":["post-2399563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-diplomacy","tag-foreign-policy","tag-international-relations","tag-negotiation","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP24319771414613.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2399563"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399567,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399563\/revisions\/2399567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2399564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}