There’s joy in Moscow.
This was going to be a follow-up to the previous post: we’ll know just how bad it’s going to get when we see whether there are lines people will not cross in enabling Donald Trump’s take-down of all that actually has made America great. Having given it a few weeks, how have the worst cabinet picks in American history been faring with the Senate, for example?
Alas, Trump and JD Vance used the spectacle of Friday, February 28’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensnkyy, to make it official: On their watch, at least, the United States of America is not the “Leader of the Free World”. The issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World.
As has been clear for years, there is no rock bottom for Donald Trump. There’s only nihilistic, autocratic abyss.
A Brief Recap
The pretext for the big televised meeting in the Oval Office was a supposed agreement involving America and Ukrainian natural resources that would somehow be a first step in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. It seems there were two versions of a deal circulating. They bore little resemblance to one another and had no realistic chances of being signed.
The first (proposed by Trump) had Ukraine handing the US rights to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals to “repay” war aid. The second involved co-ownership in an investment fund regarding mineral, oil, and gas rights.
In the run-up, Trump sought to soften up Zelenskyy by absurdly (a) calling him a “dictator” and (b) asserting Ukraine started the war. Meanwhile, without input from Ukraine, Trump and Putin were deciding how the Russia-Ukraine war would end. (Their people met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 25.) Russia would make no significant concessions; Ukraine would get the right to fight on with no assurances of anything – other than the inherent certainty that Trump and Putin would renege even if they did eventually promise to concede anything.
So, Zelenskyy was to allow the U.S. to dabble in Ukrainian minerals as an inducement for Trump not to abandon him for Putin, when Trump had obviously already done so? Now, there is an offer!
Trump arranged his “great television” show for the Oval Office, knowing Zelenskyy had no choice but to reject the proposed outcome. When he balked, Trump and Vance were ready. They yelled Russian propaganda lies, and a few of their own making, at Zelenskyy, who had the nerve to respond with truthful assertions.
As audition for a mob boss role in a movie, Trump’s performance may have been acceptable; as diplomacy for a president of the United States, it was pathetic, embarrassing, degrading, and un-American. In other words, it was exactly what one would expect.
Since then, Trump has cut Ukraine off from U.S. military aid, intelligence, and satellite imagery services. More Ukrainians are dying already. Will we join Putin in bombing hospitals?
Trump’s Big Pay-off – The Quid Pro Quo
Whatever one may think of assertions that Russia has considered Trump a potential asset for decades, there is no doubt about what matters most. Putin spared no time, effort and expense providing what Russia does best (uniquely effective and divisive misinformation operations) in support of Trump’s campaigns for president. The Mueller investigation developed mountains of evidence about the unprecedented extent of interference in the 2016 election.
It was “Russia, Russia, Russia”, alright.
Their persistence and investments have been amply rewarded all along. The centerpiece of Trump’s quid pro quo, however, was publicly switching alliance from the invaded democracy to the invading Communist dictator.
Can’t Get No Respect
Part of the game plan for the show, obviously, was to paint Zelenskyy as “disrespectful” and ungrateful.
When Trump opened the questioning, he called on someone (Brian Glenn, boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene – really, you can’t make this stuff up) representing a far-right outlet. Glenn launched into an unprofessional scold on Zelenskyy’s attire. His eventual question was “Do you own a suit?” Three thoughts came to mind:
- Zelensky was dressed exactly as he has been for all appearances since his country was invaded, and has explained it many times. Perhaps he should have dressed like co-president Musk.
- In a desperate attempt to control the narrative, Trump’s White House is excluding askers of real questions like the Associated Press and Reuters from Oval Office events, while including the likes of Glenn.
- What Z was wearing?! There certainly was shameful disrespect in the Oval Office, and of the Oval Office, that day; Trump may as well have been wearing a tee shirt with “OF COURSE, I’m Putin’s Lackey” on the front and “Have You Paid ANY Attention the Last Ten Years?” on the back.
Vice President JD Vance was eager to do his Trump Mini-Me shtick, whining to Zelenskyy that he hadn’t even thanked Trump. On this:
- Zelenskyy has never failed to be effusive with his gratitude to America and all its representatives for support.
- The complaint was (what else?) a lie. The first words out of Zelenskyy’s mouth on this very occasion were “Thank you” – even knowing he was about to undergo a shakedown.
Surprising Surprise
The shock and surprise expressed by many at Trump and Vance’s behavior seems, well, surprising.
An entire book (Daniel W. Drezner’s Toddler In Chief) was written on how Trump’s behavior during his first term was that of a toddler. Forty-four pages of notes and a six-page bibliography document hundreds of accounts of Trump displaying the short attention span, impulsiveness, impetuousness, temper, knowledge deficits, etc. of a two-to-three year-old child. To this day, he often seems to careen from one whim to another.
Except, however, when it comes to the interests of Vladimir Putin; there Trump was and is consistent, focused, and tireless. He never misses an opportunity either to praise Putin and support Russia’s interests, or to undermine America’s allies and NATO as an entity.
People are shocked all of a sudden? Trump’s disgraceful performance in Helsinki (7/16/18) is one of many incidents that should have been the end of his presidency. His “perfect phone call” of 7/25/19 illegally threatening to withhold aid approved under law unless Zelenskyy made up dirt on Biden is what got Trump impeached the first time, and should also have ended his presidency. On 2/22/22, he infamously praised Putin’s “genius” for invading Ukraine, even as the civilized world recoiled in horror.
Appalled, disgusted, outraged – absolutely. But surprised? How are you going to be when he pulls the U.S. out of NATO?
Evil Without Borders
While no one on earth has been happier than Vladimir Putin on November 3, 2016, November 5, 2024, and now February 28, 2025, the joy isn’t limited to Moscow. It extends to wherever dictators, tyrants and autocrats rule. Steve Bannon has called Hungary’s Viktor Orban “Trump before Trump” with good reason.
MAGAworld’s hard work following the 2020 election wasn’t limited to trying to steal the election back. Orban’s skillful takeover of Hungary’s institutions, stifling of dissent, and dominance of the narrative clearly inspired careful study and emulation, if ever there was to be a second chance. Well, now Trump has that second chance.
To take a stroll down memory lane, recall how Trump and Brazil’s Balsonaro heaped praise on one another while callously botching their countries’ response to COVID with nearly identical lies, mistakes, and terrible outcomes. The similarities in the two men’s approaches to governance well beyond COVID is remarkable.
Trump’s behavior inspires mutual admiration, and more, with bad actors from the far right and the far left.
The Real Issue in the New World Disorder
That’s because it’s no longer really about liberal vs. conservative, left vs. right, Democrats vs. Republicans. What matters now is the choice between participation in a democratic republic vs. submission to dictators, tyrants and autocrats.
It would be nice someday to get back to old debates between conservatives and liberals like these:
- How big is too big for government?
- Is government regulation too extensive, too intrusive, and at times contradictory? Are there also areas that need regulatory attention? If so, how can we fix this?
- What is the best tax structure for America?
At this point, such concerns seem almost quaint. Why? Because Trump somehow got himself re-elected, despite the fact that it could not be any clearer: America’s enemies are Trump’s allies. America’s allies are Trump’s enemies.
In our lifetimes, America has made mistakes, and chosen sides poorly at times, with dire and even terrible consequences. But those were mistakes. Here we are deliberately and unabashedly joining the Bad Guys, indeed the worst guys on earth. We do so not because it is in America’s interests (it’s clearly the opposite), but because it is In Donald Trump’s own personal best interests.
When Trump said he was going to be a dictator only on the first day, the lie was in his use of “only”. Substitute “from” for “only on”, and you have the true picture, if he’s allowed to pull it off.
I remember wondering how awful it must be to live in Communist Russia, or to have lived under fascism, where centralized power is unchecked, freedom is squelched, corruption is rampant, and your government lies incessantly. I never said “That could never happen here” back then, but only because it never occurred to me as a possibility. Indeed, the question was how it was possible for a country to get itself in such a fix. There have been no such musings for the last ten years or so. Now we know.
So, here we are. Right now, all Americans have no choice but to ask themselves whether they are for a democratic republic or autocracy. Ignoring what is underway is acquiescence.
What’s Underway
Trump’s assault is on America’s allies because, first and foremost, Trump’s assault is on America and all it represents. Putin despises America not just as an adversary, but for all its best foundational notions, among them:
– the Rule of Law
– Balance of Power/Checks and Balances
– an Independent Judiciary
– Freedom of the Press
– Real and True Elections
– Due Process
– Equal Protection of the Law
– Freedoms of Speech, Assembly, and Association
Trump is with Putin in his hatred and contempt for all the above. Much of what Trump’s doing is not just illegal; it’s unconstitutional. The extent to which it’s also horrendous public policy is an entirely different conversation. Note, however, that he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he is good enough at it to gather support for the indefensible.
Trump hitched his wagon to Vladimir Putin – America’s mortal enemy and the worst person on earth – obviously and publicly, a long time ago. At this point, certainly, there is no conceivable excuse for not recognizing what this is, what it means, and what it portends for America’s future. Political leanings and affiliation don’t matter, compared to what’s at stake.
Conclusion
We’ll get back to public policy and Trump’s blitzkrieg – his dismantling of both America’s economy and its ability to fend off the various catastrophes he’s inviting – soon enough.
This is about something else, something (unbelievably) even worse. This is an invitation from Trump into the autocracy abyss just in time to prevent America from reaching its 250th birthday intact. Unless you think it’s a good idea to turn America into Russia, or you enjoy practicing the Nazi salute with Elon, it’s time to get busy.
Autocracy is an abyss in that once a dictatorship is entrenched, it is extraordinarily more difficult to scratch and crawl back out of it to democracy. As a people, we are either not having it – autocracy, that is – or we really are going to have it.
Again, the issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World. It’s an either/or. There’s nowhere to hide. Sadly, candor requires acknowledgement of Trump’s expert use of fear. Much spineless capitulation to him by those who know better has been attributable to fear of portions of Trump’s base. One reason Trump pardoned many hundreds of January 5 insurrectionists was to have the unrepentant ones available, “standing by” for their next assignments.
This is all the more reason none of us can abide the ongoing criminality. If we’re going to remain the Land of the Free, we must be the Home of the Brave.
Ken Bossong
© 2025 Kenneth J. Bossong