It is beyond the imaginable pale that a former American president would praise a lying, authoritarian Russian war criminal named Vladimir Putin. But Donald Trump, no actual friend of American freedom, did just that in remarks as Russian “peacekeeping” forces prepared to plow into Ukraine last week.
In an interview last week, Trump said, “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion … of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent.”
Genius? No, Mr. President. It’s the cowardice of an autocratic thug using military might to achieve political goals by force. Russia’s latest incursion into Ukraine has led to the unnecessary woundings and deaths of thousands.
Trump continued: “So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s [the] strongest peace force.”
Smart? No. It’s dumb for any American to believe Putin and Russia have Ukraine in their best interest. It’s a convenient twisting of words to make something very bad sound good. But Trump fell for it, again, as his bromance with Putin reached a new, dismal low.
No American president should utter words like these to support anti-American authoritarianism. We are a nation of laws, not one man’s law. Trump’s latest words give more credence to his childish pursuit of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. His chilling words about Putin are the same song, another day, of the kind of rhetoric he spouted to spur on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The difference now is Trump is now attempting to exploit the world stage to fuel dissent, unrest and death. He’s continuing his mission to try to rot America’s freedoms by endorsing the actions of a dangerous and cunning liar of global proportions.
Can you imagine the outrage if Trump had called Hitler a genius or smart? Even MAGA-hat wearing Trump supporters might be shaken a little. Well wake up: That’s essentially what he’s done in praising Putin, who has proven yet again that he’s little different from Hitler with his cruel avarice for recognition, his greed to consume territory and his bloody addiction to power.
Trump supporters, including South Carolina’s own United States senators, must come to terms with the fact that their political deity has not descended from the heaven of freedom. He continues to push dangerous, seditious ideas that seek to corrupt our democracy.
If you believe in America’s ideals, stop believing in Donald Trump. If you believe in American democracy, help the true freedom fighters in Ukraine. If you believe in American freedom, boycott anything to do with Russia. If you believe in the founding principles of America, support what conscientious Republicans and Democrats in Washington are doing to fight Russia’s land-grab.
Don’t let Trump win by believing any of his nonsense. See him for what he is — a petty, wannabe tyrant who calls Americans dumb and who continues to cozy up to a terrorist who hates America and her freedom.
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