They weren't bending the knee. They were treating Trump like a toddler because that's the best strategy to get concessions from him.
Look at the theatre of the UK giving him the "unprecedented" letter from the King.
Talk of "bending knees" just makes macho idiots think they're winning. It's more like distracting your really drunk friend with something shiny to stop him starting a bar fight or walking into traffic while hoping when he sobers up he'll change for the better, not continue his slide into becoming an permanent asshole.
Look at the theatre of the UK giving him the "unprecedented" letter from the King.
Talk of "bending knees" just makes macho idiots think they're winning. It's more like distracting your really drunk friend with something shiny to stop him starting a bar fight or walking into traffic while hoping when he sobers up he'll change for the better, not continue his slide into becoming an permanent asshole.