Comments on: What did Trump actually say about Zelensky starting the war?

By: David Clayton

David Clayton — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 07:06:53 +0000

Russia started the war. And be clear, under Putin it will start others if it can get away with it. Putin’s KGB background and Russia First mentality means he will push at anything to reestablish the old Soviet borders.
What we need now is Reagan. What we have got is Trump.
In Europe this is going down very badly and there is complete shock that the US President seems to prefer to believe PUtin over any European leader. There is a lot of wild talk but the reality is that without the US Ukraine will eventually be defeated.
The long term effect of this in US-European relations will be bad. Maybe Trump sees better deals to be had with those other than his traditional allies?

By: The Other Chuck

The Other Chuck — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 05:28:50 +0000

Huxely, thanks for the 48 Laws reference. The ones you highlighted sure sound like Trump.

By: ok

ok — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 04:41:29 +0000

Tucker has proven to be a profound disappointment.

By: mkent

mkent — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 03:22:07 +0000

“Also, his weakness in general and in Afghanistan in particular gave Putin the idea that this would be a good time to strike.”

The exact timing is almost certainly due to the botched pullout from Afghanistan. Troop movements toward the Ukrainian border began just a few weeks after that.

But Russia is on a deadline. It has less than 20 years to achieve its military goals. Ukraine is just the first step. So this war was always going to happen sometime this decade Biden or no Biden, Trump or no Trump.

”So, did President Trump swallow the Russian spin?”

It appears so, probably via Tucker Carlson. His interview with Putin seemed to thrust some of these nuttier ideas into the mainstream.

By: om

om — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 02:14:25 +0000

A thought occurred to me (inconceivable) that President Trump’s Chief of Staff may not be able to provide wise council every time.

It was reported that President Trump said that Russia lost so many lives taking back Ukraine from the Nazis (conflating Russia and the USSR) so Russia has some claim. If he said it, well a lot of Ukrainians died fighting the Nazis as did Belorussians. And of course the USSR gave Ukraine the Holodomor, too.

So, did President Trump swallow the Russian spin? I hope not. Time will tell.

By: Hubert

Hubert — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 00:22:57 +0000

Neo: “Also, his weakness in general and in Afghanistan in particular gave Putin the idea that this would be a good time to strike.”

Estonian politician Martin Helme made precisely this point to Mark Steyn in February 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcVBS6qH9j8&t=2224s

Back when Steyn was still on GBNews. And healthy.

By: neo

neo — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:30:07 +0000

mkent:

I agree that “Biden’s war” isn’t actually the case. But I think that what was probably meant by that was that, compared to Trump, Biden had a much larger hand in it. In public statements, he gave Putin leeway right before it began, And he failed to do anything to end it. Also, his weakness in general and in Afghanistan in particular gave Putin the idea that this would be a good time to strike.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:29:34 +0000

Well, if the Biden administration had projected strength, it’s possible Russia wouldn’t have planned its grand invasion. Putin thought, based on his military advisors, I suppose, that Ukraine could be conquered in just a few weeks.

And once Ukraine demonstrated its resistance effectively, Biden could have released more weaponry sooner to give them a chance to actually win the conflict. Also, western Euro countries could have stepped up far more to assist.

And, Zelensky made a serious wrong bet when he more or less campaigned for Harris and against Trump last fall.

By: mkent

mkent — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:15:06 +0000

This will be brief. It seems I can get things done at home or keep up with current events but not both. But I can’t let this go.

”What must be kept in mind is that the war in Ukraine is Biden’s and the Dems’ war.”

Good grief! No, it is not. Russia started this war and no one else.

Russia invaded Ukraine for Russian reasons. Ukraine is defending itself for Ukrainian reasons. Neither has anything to do with Biden, Trump, or domestic American politics.

By: huxley

huxley — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 22:58:30 +0000

Re: Trump’s tactics and strategies

Currently I’m watching The Culture Mafia channel which analyzes “The Godfather” films and books. An interesting bonus is that the narration relates it to Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power” which was a bestseller in the late 90s.

I didn’t read it straight through, but browsed the laws which looked interesting. One could call the book an update of Machiavelli’s “The Prince.”

Trump can definitely be described in terms of some of the 48 Laws.

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions
Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs
Law 8: Make Other People Come to You—Use Bait if Necessary
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument:
Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Law 25: Re-Create Yourself
Law 27: Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One as one.
Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles
Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish: Create confusion to gain the advantage

Of course Trump didn’t get his game out of a book. My point is that he is working from a bigger power toolbox than most of our politicians, thus often confusing people. But there are methods to his madness.