Sweden to Trump: Try again, meatball
Stockholm officials reject U.S. call to get rid of DEI policies, sticking to that whole 'sovereign nation' argument again
Intro by Sam Bellamy
In the Donald Trump version of Stockholm Syndrome, we don’t identify with our captor. We apologize profusely for every stupid, utterly humiliating thing he says to the folks lucky enough to live outside his control.
You may have heard or read by now that an official U.S. government letter was sent to the city of Stockholm on behalf of our abuser — and, sigh, us — demanding that the Swedes get rid of their diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Jan Valeskog, Stockholm's planning vice mayor, told Newsweek and the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that his office received the "bizarre" missive from the U.S. Embassy this week. The letter indicated the city had 10 working days to comply.
Donald, they’re not going to meet that deadline.
Valeskog told Newsweek that the Trump administration’s demand was “the opposite of what we stand for.”
He also politely pointed out that the U.S. Embassy needs the Swedish government more than the other way around. Getting construction permits would be difficult, for starters. "It's their headache, not ours," he said.
"People in Stockholm and Sweden are surprised and upset that President Trump, through the U.S. Embassy, is trying to oppose diversity, equality and inclusion in Sweden,” he added. “On the contrary, these are values that we strive for and stand up for in Stockholm.”
Valeskeg said he expected the U.S. Embassy to respect the city’s request to withdraw the letter but, either way, good relations between the government and Americans would continue.
A State Department spokesperson explained the letters aren’t actually supposed to go to city officials but to foreign contractors who work at embassies.
Similar letters have gone out to — and angered — companies in Sweden, France, Denmark, Belgium and other European nations. The European Union is considering issue an unified piss-off reply to Trump.
Last month, a statement from the State Department portrayed this as a routine matter to ensure compliance with the anti-DEI order Trump signed on his first day in office.
"In other words, we are just asking them to complete one additional piece of paperwork," the statement said.
Well, then. Is that all? Just one little racist form?
I don’t know about you, but I would have looked the other way if, say, the Swedish Navy had sent a submarine offshore at Mar-a-Lago and bombed a few dozen new sandtraps into Trump’s precious golf course.
But, after viewing the video from below, I’m pretty sure Sweden can take care of itself and doesn’t need suggestions from us. The satire was created by Doug Lansky, a Stockholm-based international tourism advisor whose writing credits include the late, great Spy magazine, a masterful nemesis of The Donald in the 1980s, when he was just New York City’s problem. Who needs the Navy?
After watching this, I’m ready to go to Sweden. Hell, I’m ready to move.