Trump’s Echo Chamber: Flattery Is the New Foreign Policy

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At the Gaza Peace Summit, Pakistan’s Prime Minister joins a growing global choir of sycophants hailing Trump’s “visionary leadership” — while the man himself seems to be the only one convinced.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, October 14, 2025 — When Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rose to speak at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, observers braced for a diplomatic statement on ceasefires, aid corridors, or reconstruction. Instead, they got a serenade.

“Mr. President, I would like to salute you for your exemplary leadership — visionary leadership — and I think that you’re the man this world needed most at this point in time,” Sharif declared, his voice almost trembling with reverence.

Across the table, Donald Trump, basking in the applause like a cat under a heat lamp, nodded solemnly — as if he were accepting yet another honorary doctorate in “Global Stability.”

From Washington to Cairo: The Cult of Compliment

Trump has always surrounded himself with loyalists who confuse agreement with governance. In the past, it was the White House lawn; now it’s the Gaza Summit dais. The ecosystem remains the same — those who flatter thrive, those who question vanish faster than an ethics report at Mar-a-Lago.

Foreign leaders have caught on. Whether it’s a Saudi prince praising his “bold energy policies” or a Hungarian minister calling him “the Churchill of our times”, it seems flattery is the new diplomatic currency. Pakistan’s prime minister just paid his dues.

The Flattery Feedback Loop

Insiders joke that Trump’s foreign policy runs on two principles: “Say nice things about me” and “Don’t fact-check the nice things you just said.”
The Gaza Peace Summit, meant to tackle one of the world’s most intractable crises, became yet another episode of The Trump Show: Global Edition.

Analysts note that Sharif’s effusive praise may have had less to do with “visionary leadership” and more with Washington’s cheque book diplomacy — or perhaps the time-honoured tradition of saying whatever might get you a photo op and a handshake.

Even Egypt’s host, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, known for his own brand of ironclad control, reportedly raised an eyebrow as Sharif’s compliments spilled over. One diplomat whispered, “It’s like watching someone try to win The Apprentice: Diplomat Edition.”

A Familiar Pattern

From former cabinet members to global leaders, the Trumpian orbit is once again proving that proximity to power often requires vocal cords stronger than principles. Those who dare to dissent — or even clear their throat mid-praise — tend not to be invited back to the next summit.

Still, Trump seems unbothered. In his closing remarks, he thanked “the many great world leaders who truly understand leadership,” before adding, “Some people just get it — like my very good friend from Pakistan, tremendous guy, tremendous words.”

The World Watches — and Winces

In the end, the Gaza Peace Summit may be remembered less for any breakthrough on peace, and more for the spectacle of international diplomacy turning into an open-mic night for flattery.

For Trump, though, this is the natural order of things — where applause is proof of achievement, loyalty is policy, and “visionary leadership” means having the last word in every room.

As one European diplomat put it dryly after the summit: “It’s remarkable. Trump doesn’t just drain the swamp — he restocks it with people who call him Moses.”

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