What suggests that Trump works for Putin & Xi & not for the US? 1. He has launched an extraordinary and erratic trade war against all but Russia; 2. eliminated U.S. foreign aid programs; 3. upended U.S. alliances; 4. degraded the US administration; /1
5. Stopped all aid to Ukraine; 6. Reduced military support in NATO directed against Russia; 7. stopped all US state media directed against dictatorships; 8. ended support for democracy. /2
9. detained and deported scores of foreign students and scholars; 10. strong-armed universities for their political views; 11. forced media companies into doing his bidding; 12. the same with law firms & all kinds of corporations; 13. emasculated US science. /3
14. made it very difficult to obtain a US visa for any purpose; 15. stopped virtually all immigration, even of outstanding hi-tech professionals.
Nobody but a true enemy of the US could cause the US so much damage. /4
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Is there any republican left who does not understand that Trump supports Putin & not the West? 1. He praises Putin all the time & now even his servant Lukashenko. 2. Trump has imposed no sanctions on Russia or tariffs, but big tariffs on the EU & Ukraine. /1
3. Trump has not given Ukraine any arms or financial aid. 4. The US has twice voted in the UN with Russia & a dozen rogue states claiming mendaciously that Russia is NOT an aggressor against Ukraine. 5. Trump has ended all US media information against Russian disinformation. /2
6. Trump has stopped all US democracy support abroad. 7. Trump is withdrawing US support for Baltic security. 8. Trump does not even protest when Russia bombs US companies in Ukraine (Boeing & Flex). 9. Trump has eliminated all Russia knowledge in the US administration. /3
How will Russia's war in Ukraine end?
Both nations are very tired now, the Ukrainians more so, but Ukraine knows this is an existential war, it is not for Russia, only for Putin himself.
Ukraine spend 50% of GDP on the war, Russia only 7% & they complain. It tells you all. /1
After World War II, no imperial power has won a serious, prolonged imperial war. Russia won in Chechnya, which is not big, leading Putin to the wrong conclusion. Ukraine is too big & united to be defeated by a mindless colonial power, which Putin can't understand. /2
We are all caught in historical precedents.
Putin clearly thinks Chechnya, but it had 1.5 million inhabitants, while Ukraine had 40 million when the war started.
My precedent is Germany in 1918: Its revolution stopped a mindless war, while German troops stood abroad. /3
It is so tiresome to hear all these commentators saying that Trump's actions are "unprecedented" or that we are in "unchartered" waters. They say so to avoid criticize the president, who deserves all the criticism he can get. /1
1. As we all know, Trump lies all the time. During his first term, the Washington Post catalogued & counted his 32,000 lies, but now its billionaire owner Bezos has stopped this truth-telling.
All journalists should have a moral duty to say that Trump lied, whenever he did. /2
2. As we all know, Trump persistently violates many laws, but commentators avoid saying so. Do! Considering that Trump has bought the majority of SCOTUS, we should not consider its verdicts as necessary in line with law or the US constitution. /3
Stunning how weak US institutions are.
Trump wants crony capitalism = the accidental ruler is allowed to seize what he wants & give benefits to his darlings. 1. Proven corrupt SCOTUS gives him legal immunity. 2. GOP Congress does whatever POTUS says. /1
3. Trump starts trade wars against the whole world (apart from Russia) & nobody but China seems to be able to stand up to him. The Congress lies flat. 4. Trump cuts taxes for billionaires so that they finance his destruction of the economy as Hitler once did & they obey. /2
5. In order to protect his irresponsible fiscal policy, Trump undermines the Federal Reserve presumably boosting inflation, possibly to inflate away the excessive US public debt. Will any force be strong enough to defend the independent central bank? I doubt it. /3
Incredible that Trump does not understand that Putin will refuse to see Zelensky until the bitter end.
Putin's reasons are many. 1. On July 12, 2021, Putin published his big declaration of war on Ukraine: ”On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians“...
Its essence was that no Ukrainian nation existed, since it was merely part of Russia.
But, of course, Trump got rid of Alexander Vindman, Fiona Hill & John Bolton who understood what this meant and went for Witkoff et al who know & understand nothing.
/2en.kremlin.ru/events/preside…
2. For those faint-hearted who did not read or understand Putin's first declaration of war, he issued two more on December 17, 2021, calling for the elimination of Nato's whole enlargement from 1997 etc.
The Biden administration understood but should have armed Ukraine more. /3
Thoughts on Alaska one week later: 1. Trump's invitation of Putin to US soil remains a massive betrayal of everything that the US stands for. 2. His invitation did nothing positive: Putin won & Trump appears his obedient servant. /1
3. Yet, Putin's victory was limited. Trump did not do 3 things (that I had feared).
A. He did not clearly side with Putin.
B. He did not end the US sanctions on Russia.
C. He did not instigate big US-Russia economic cooperation. /2
4. The August 18 Trump meeting with Zelensky & 7 top European leaders was a surprising success.
Uncharacteristically Trump was courteous as were the Europeans, but they held firmly in favor of Ukraine.
Trump was impeded in expressing his love for Putin. /3