An acoustic version of ¡°Smooth Operator¡± blared from loudspeakers as foreign ministers, commerce officials and business executives sipped Negroni cocktails by the pool of a swanky golf club. At the elite Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in Lima, there was only one big topic of conversation: Donald Trump.
Diplomats swapped tips (and horror stories) on dealing with the incoming U.S. president. The last thing you want is him tweeting about an issue you¡¯re working on because then it¡¯s game over, one said. Remember, he holds a grudge, another warned.
Trump¡¯s return didn¡¯t catch APEC attendees off guard ¡ª preparations for his possible re-election had been going on for months ¡ª but that hasn¡¯t made the prospect of his second term any easier. At a cocktail event in the Peruvian capital for the forum¡¯s VIPs, there was a sense of existential angst in the air.
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