Didn't the fuhrer promise an end to the war within 24 hours?
Has it been 24 hours yet?
Our friend Putin isn't playing the fuhrer for a fool is he?
topspin · 1d ago
In Trump Brain, everything is personal. Putin has, indeed, played Trump, and done that the only way possible; by treating Trump as a peer and showing him respect over many years. However, Putin has a war to prosecute, and his own survival depends on it. When Putin launched this recent long range attack on Ukrainian cities while simultaneously pretending to negotiate a Trump mediated cease fire, Trump saw this as a personal insult: in Trump Brain, his personal buddy Putin is supposed to be helping Trump, not doing "crazy" (Trump's words) things like escalating conflict.
The effect of insulting Trump was immediate: Trump has lifted all range restrictions on long range Western weapons. A major escalation. Ukraine can how hit high value targets inside Russia with precision weapons that Russia can't effectively defend against. This will be quite devastating because Russia's Potemkin "military" is incapable of anticipating consequences, so there are lots of juicy targets to devastate until Russia figures this out.
Don't be surprised if, in the near future, maybe the next few days, the $300-ish billion in Western held Russian foreign reserves gets looted to fund Ukraine arms. If Putin keeps pissing off Trump, that will finally happen. Trump would certainly enjoy filling US defense contractor pockets with Russian money.
jqpabc123 · 20h ago
Actually, in Trump Brain; misguided, naive and downright foolish policy must still be justified somehow --- even after being proven as such.
Cutting off military aid before peace negotiations was clearly upside down and backwards policy and obviously an ineffective and feckless approach to dealing with Putin.
As much pure fantasy as calling Ukraine the aggressor, predicting an immediate end to the conflict, claiming to "know Putin well" and expecting him to respect anyone but himself.
topspin · 16h ago
> must still be justified
Trump Brain doesn't do that calculus. Trump Brain maintains lists of who is Good and who is Bad, and moves people among the lists at need.
> Cutting off military aid before peace negotiations was clearly upside down and backwards
Not in Trump Brain. At that time, Putin was on the Good list, so Trump Brain was obligated to stop the arms.
The good news is the lists are fluid, and the likely outcome given Trump Brain is support for Ukraine with more enthusiasm than Biden et al. ever had.
You can see this in this latest snap decision to lift limits on range: all concern about nuclear war vanishing as if it never existed. You can see it in his latest words, since Trump Brain is, for better or worse, forever committing candor. He wrote, "This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not 'Trump’s,'" Again, the personalities here are all that matter to Trump Brain, and Putin made the Bad list.
Today, on Putin: "He’s playing with fire!" So Trump Brain is still hung up on Putin (personally, note) two days later. That's a long interval for Trump Brain: Putin on the Bad list for the whole holiday.
The worm is turning. This is no longer a campaign issue to beat Biden over the head with. Now Putin is a problem for Trump Brain, and Trump Brain has absolutely no loyalty for those that disappoint. Zero.
It was always going to get here, because the reality of Ukraine and Putin was always going to come into conflict with Trump Brain's placement of Putin on the Good list. But Trump Brain had to figure this out on its own: you can't tell Trump Brain anything that conflicts with current standing. Even trying gets you on the Bad list, which is one mistake Zelensky made. If Zelensky had the first clue, he'd be on a plane wearing the finest Italian suit ever made to get to Trump before the end of the news cycle and thank Trump publicly and exclusively for lifting the range limits, giving Trump all the credit, deserved or otherwise.
The fact that Putin, personally, is now the problem as far as Trump Brain is concerned, and likely to remain so given circumstances, might actually pay off handsomely: when the kleptocrats of Russia decide they need to solve their Trump problem, removing Putin becomes their expedient. Ultimately, that's what this is going to require in any case, so perhaps Trump Brain is on to something.
Has it been 24 hours yet?
Our friend Putin isn't playing the fuhrer for a fool is he?
The effect of insulting Trump was immediate: Trump has lifted all range restrictions on long range Western weapons. A major escalation. Ukraine can how hit high value targets inside Russia with precision weapons that Russia can't effectively defend against. This will be quite devastating because Russia's Potemkin "military" is incapable of anticipating consequences, so there are lots of juicy targets to devastate until Russia figures this out.
Don't be surprised if, in the near future, maybe the next few days, the $300-ish billion in Western held Russian foreign reserves gets looted to fund Ukraine arms. If Putin keeps pissing off Trump, that will finally happen. Trump would certainly enjoy filling US defense contractor pockets with Russian money.
Cutting off military aid before peace negotiations was clearly upside down and backwards policy and obviously an ineffective and feckless approach to dealing with Putin.
As much pure fantasy as calling Ukraine the aggressor, predicting an immediate end to the conflict, claiming to "know Putin well" and expecting him to respect anyone but himself.
Trump Brain doesn't do that calculus. Trump Brain maintains lists of who is Good and who is Bad, and moves people among the lists at need.
> Cutting off military aid before peace negotiations was clearly upside down and backwards
Not in Trump Brain. At that time, Putin was on the Good list, so Trump Brain was obligated to stop the arms.
The good news is the lists are fluid, and the likely outcome given Trump Brain is support for Ukraine with more enthusiasm than Biden et al. ever had.
You can see this in this latest snap decision to lift limits on range: all concern about nuclear war vanishing as if it never existed. You can see it in his latest words, since Trump Brain is, for better or worse, forever committing candor. He wrote, "This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not 'Trump’s,'" Again, the personalities here are all that matter to Trump Brain, and Putin made the Bad list.
Today, on Putin: "He’s playing with fire!" So Trump Brain is still hung up on Putin (personally, note) two days later. That's a long interval for Trump Brain: Putin on the Bad list for the whole holiday.
The worm is turning. This is no longer a campaign issue to beat Biden over the head with. Now Putin is a problem for Trump Brain, and Trump Brain has absolutely no loyalty for those that disappoint. Zero.
It was always going to get here, because the reality of Ukraine and Putin was always going to come into conflict with Trump Brain's placement of Putin on the Good list. But Trump Brain had to figure this out on its own: you can't tell Trump Brain anything that conflicts with current standing. Even trying gets you on the Bad list, which is one mistake Zelensky made. If Zelensky had the first clue, he'd be on a plane wearing the finest Italian suit ever made to get to Trump before the end of the news cycle and thank Trump publicly and exclusively for lifting the range limits, giving Trump all the credit, deserved or otherwise.
The fact that Putin, personally, is now the problem as far as Trump Brain is concerned, and likely to remain so given circumstances, might actually pay off handsomely: when the kleptocrats of Russia decide they need to solve their Trump problem, removing Putin becomes their expedient. Ultimately, that's what this is going to require in any case, so perhaps Trump Brain is on to something.