Let’s get ready to rumble

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Meetings between heads of state are usually very well choreographed when in public together taking questions from the media. What goes on behind closed doors, away from the camera’s unrelenting gaze, is where real white-knuckle politics take place. Usually, serious or physical disagreements never come to light until political memoirs are published; that was the case with the 1982 book The Presidents and the Prime Ministers by journalist Lawrence Martin. He disclosed that back in 1965, Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson had condemned the US bombing of North Vietnam, and while visiting Camp David, he was grabbed by his shirt collar and hoisted off the ground by then US President Lyndon B. Johnson.

By contrast, on February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in the White House to sign an agreement to supply lithium and other rare earth minerals to the US, as payment for billions of military aid already received by Ukraine during its ongoing war with Russia. This much-publicised deal was to be the first step in ending the war, and bring peace to the region; but a spectacular wrong turn occurred, with both presidents getting very emotional, passionate and angry with each other in front of the world’s media.

Finger pointing and raised voices reminded me of those promotional videos about forthcoming events at WWE’s Wrestlemania shows; I had to wonder who would execute a ‘piledriver’ on the Resolute Desk, that most famous piece of furniture in the Oval Office. Or there may be a full nelson or a half nelson hold applied while trying to get the opponent to ‘tap-out’ or submit. Just like politics, professional wresting is nothing like it appears to be on the surface, and has much to do with trickery, deception and sleight of hand; yet, so many gullible folks are as truly mesmerised by the participants in this sports entertainment as they are with politicians.

Donald Trump has a long affiliation with the WWE; his Education Secretary Linda McMahon is a former CEO of the company, and Hulk Hogan is one of his most famous supporters. President Zelenskyy has a gravelly voice that is associated with most wrestlers; President Trump with Vice-President JD Vance formed a tag team of ‘Donnie The Demented Destroyer and JD The Jugular Juggler’ to put the smackdown on the ‘Volod The Cossack Clod’. Sit back and hold on tight to enjoy the action, we are only six weeks into a four-year presidency that’s telling the world: ‘Let’s get ready to rumble.’

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada