The Art of the Schlemiel
The guy who has conned an entire political party is now in the position of having been conned by an enemy of democracy.
Never has the contrast between reality and Trump’s fantasy life been more vivid than it has been with Putin’s Alaska visit and his subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Virtually every reputable news organization (note that I used the word “reputable”) has been reporting that Putin dominated the meeting and Trump not only got nothing but also gave Putin legitimacy on the world stage.
For starters, they met on U.S. soil, on territory that was once Russian, land that Putin would love to get his expansionist hands on again. Second, despite Trump saying repeatedly prior to the summit he’d be very upset if no cease fire in Ukraine were agreed to, Putin not only didn’t agree to a cease fire but also received Trump’s buy-in that Ukrainian territory that Russian overtook during the war (and even some that they didn’t) would remain in Russia’s control.
After his visit to Alaska, Putin returned to Russia having attended only one of the two planned sessions. There was no need for him to attend the second because he had gotten everything he wanted, including an unchaperoned ride with Trump in “the beast” — the hardened, secured presidential limousine — and a photo op that positioned him in the same league and on the same level as the supposed “leader of the free world.”
More than any of that, he got his objectives in Ukraine met — no cease fire, an agreement from Trump that he would back an agreement for Ukraine to cede not only the territories that Russia has occupied but also additional territories. This kind of agreement could only be formulated by excluding the party most affected — Ukraine — from the “negotiations.” (I put the word in quotation marks because it can’t truly be a negotiation when the primary party isn’t included.)
It’s hard to imagine Zelenskyy would agree to these terms formulated in large part by the very country that invaded Ukraine. After all, tens of thousands of Ukrainian military members have died fighting to defend their homeland, and almost as many civilians have died as well.
Yet Trump, in his typical sleazy used car salesman manner, presented these meetings as if they were personally a win for him. In reality, he bowed and scraped to Putin. There are even reports that he halted the meeting with Zelenskyy and our European allies to contact Putin by phone to consult with him about … who knows what.
In a move that is cringeworthy even by Trump standards, Trump used his press availability during the meeting with Zelenskyy to vow publicly to get rid of mail-in ballots in U.S. elections — a power he does not have. Then, to outdo himself, he took Zelenskyy and a couple of the other European visitors to the White House on a tour of a display of his red MAGA hats, showing a particular pride in the “4 More Years” and “Trump 2028” hats.
He put these world leaders in a position in which they had to feign interest in his collection of self-aggrandizing hats, the way grownups pretend to be interested in a 6-year-old’s collection of Hot Wheels. Trump, possessing neither any self-awareness nor the ability to read the room, could not abide having these meetings be about anything but himself.
The actual outcomes of the meeting with Putin and the meeting the following day with Zelensky and European allies tell a very different story than the yarn that Trump is attempting to spin:
Prior to meeting with Putin, Trump repeatedly stated how disappointed he would be if Russia failed to agree to a ceasefire. After chumming it up with Putin, he did a 180° pivot on the cease fire, stating that he didn’t think a ceasefire was necessary, echoing instead Putin’s turn of phrase and championing a “permanent peace agreement.” (I need to have someone explain to me how nations can achieve a “permanent peace” without first stopping the gunfire.)
Time and again, Trump characterized the war in Ukraine as a conflict in which both parties were somehow at fault, implying parity between the two countries, as opposed to unprovoked, sustained attacks and land grabs by an aggressor country on a sovereign nation.
Speaking of land, Trump repeatedly used the phrase “land swap” to describe the proposed ceding of certain territories in eastern Ukraine, despite the fact that no Russian land is proposed to be swapped for Ukrainian land:
“Americans are told by Russians to say ‘land swaps’ and then they do: not just American negotiators but American reporters. But Russia is not offering to swap any of its territory. It is demanding to keep the land it has illegally invaded and to take more land that it has not even occupied. That is not a ‘swap.’ When we repeat propaganda tropes, we make it harder to sensibly negotiate.” — Prof. Timothy Snyder on Substack
The European leaders in attendance publicly recommitted their support for Ukraine. Once they were back in their home countries, they met again, this time out of the glare of the Trump spotlight, to strategize about helping to ensure Ukraine’s security. Meanwhile, without any sense of irony and fearing that Ukraine would get the upper hand with Trump, Russia issued statements demanding that they be included in any discussions of a security guarantee.
Trump walked away from these meetings having received no concrete assurances from Putin. But he did walk away with a gigantic double boost to his ravenous ego. First, he claimed repeatedly, against all evidence, that the meeting with Putin was “a ten.” Second, he had the opportunity to have the European leaders drop everything and jump at his command.
To be clear, Trump has long since abandoned any sense of U.S. obligation to protect Ukraine from Russia aggression, thereby further deteriorating the trust of other nations to believe in the U.S. Instead, he’s now touting a vague “security guarantee” from Russia, expecting that Ukraine and the European allies should take Putin’s word at face value.
Let’s not forget: Putin is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. If he sets foot in any of the 125 member countries of the ICC, he will be arrested. (The U.S. is not a member country, so he felt safe that there would be no repercussions for his visit here, particularly with Trump in the White House.)
But Putin is not someone with whom any other American President or diplomat would be on friendly terms. He should be ostracized and marginalized into doing what is in the best interest of the United States and of democracies around the world. Perhaps the most upsetting aspect of the Putin/Trump friendship is that an American president has as much or more ability to rein in Putin than anyone else in the world; not only did Trump squander that opportunity, he never had any intention of providing such pushback.
Trump, who has built a career, a fortune, and a brand on his ability to fast-talk people into giving him their money — in large and small amounts — has a blind spot for Vladimir Putin. He seemingly is unable to resist any sales pitch from Putin, the war criminal. In all of his dealings related to Russia, from the start of his campaign in 2015 until the present day, he has always said and done the things that would be the most agreeable to Vladimir Putin.
But, in truth, Trump getting conned into being Putin’s useful idiot is the most charitable reading of these events. It not difficult to interpret his deference to Putin in a far more sinister light — that he is beholden to Putin in ways that are not known to the general public.
So take your pick: It’s either ignorance and incompetence or it’s collusion or collaboration with a sworn enemy of the United States.