What did Donald Trump do today?

He said South Korea could use American nuclear submarine technology after South Korea gave him a literal gold crown.

At a highly choreographed meeting at the Gyeongju National Museum in Seoul, South Korean officials presented a delighted Trump with a literal golden crown. Trump stared, rapt, at the enormous crown, which a South Korean official said "symbolizes the divine connection between the authority of the heavens and the sovereignty on Earth, as well as the strong leadership and authority of a leader." Trump was also given various other golden accoutrements.

 

The subtext of the flattery was pretty obvious: Trump has reacted to massive nationwide "No Kings" protests by tweeting AI images of him wearing crowns. 

Trump, for his part, promised the South Korean government they could build three nuclear submarines using extremely sensitive American technology. He touted this on social as a revitalizing of the Philadelphia shipbuilding industry, but that is already thriving where commercial ships are concerned—and a South Korean company already owns Philadelphia's shipyards.

The "deal" Trump announced today follows a now-familiar pattern: He pretended pre-existing foreign ownership of American businesses were new investments, and made promises (like the nuclear technology) that future administrations will be bound by in exchange for meaningless "commitments" for more of the same. A promise by South Korea to pay what amounts to a $350 billion bribe in exchange for being exempted from tariffs, for example, falls apart on the details. It's quite likely that Trump's entire tariff regime will be radically scaled back by the courts within weeks, or at the very least immediately dropped by future administrations. In the meantime, the requirement that South Korea invest in American businesses or buy American oil and gas—again, things they already do as the normal course of trade—is completely unenforceable year-to-year.

In other words, whether he understands it or not, Trump traded access to some of the most closely-guarded military technology in the American arsenal for the chance to make some triumphant tweets—and a crown.

Why does this matter?

• Any other president flattered in such an obvious and manipulative fashion would know enough to be insulted. 

• American diplomacy should be about what's best for the country, not what will make Trump look like he accomplished something.