So, Trump, the "laughingstock," is on his way here to Europe. Here's my take on what is going on:

[DFW]

149. I don't know where that one came from, but it's not the prevalent attitude here

No one I know here wants the USA to fail. They look to us for economic support, military protection, cultural offerings, and, believe it or not, even a few social things we get right. Less rigidity in our higher education, less paperwork in our daily lives, less control over our daily lives.

My German friends, before I moved here, used to ask in which city I had registered my residence with the police. Completely confused, I asked what they meant, and why in the world should I go tell the local police where my residence was? In Germany, you have to register with the authorities ("Polizieiliche Anmeldung&quot when you move, telling them when you leave, where you are going, and then tell the local police when you show up at the new place. I was amazed, and asked why they should want to do such a thing? They said it was easy to track potential criminals that way. I said that where I came from, society did not automatically assume we would become criminals, and that when you moved somewhere, you packed up and moved. Period. If you want anyone to know where, you tell them. Period. Leave a forwarding address if you want, and not, then don't. They were incredulous. The concept of free movement never occurred to them. It's alien here. When I registered here as a resident taxpayer, the local accountant asked my US accountant for information necessary to file German taxes. My US accountant made me sign a waiver, as the Germans were asking personal details that it would be illegal for them to disclose to anyone in the USA without a court order.

We spend an absolute fortune importing products from the EU. They love the strong dollar. With cracks showing in the economic fortress of China, and Russia long weakened due to the low oil price, Europe wants us strong, visible and successful--it's just that they don't consider Trump capable of making us any of the above. Come here, travel around, talk to the people. An American failure is the last thing they desire.