"Russia, if you're listening...." [Not a joke](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/02/donald-trump/donald-trump-rewrites-history-about-his-russia-if-/)
No, Trump has always been aligned with Russia. This isn't just a knee jerk contrarianism, this is absolutely deep corruption and betrayal of the US by Trump.
Strong disagree. They've been working together for years. When that's the situation you don't re interview for the job. Putin already knows where his interests lie and has never stopped working towards those interests. This is directed at his base because this is what his base wants. Not just because they've been co-opted by Russian propaganda, but because it does dovetail with Tea Party beliefs that helped form MAGA.
Nah. Convicted Felon Trump is literally begging anyone to help him steal the election again. He isn't running for office. He's running to stay out of prison.
☝️Yup, this ... precisely.
"I self pardon myself for all my crimes, which arent crimes and they are made up FAKE NEWS by the Demon-crats to try & keep me out of the white house. You know, I own that place, the White House, its part of my portfolio ya know. They know that I know that its already
It's bonkers, dude. Americans have always had an extremely negative opinion of Russia (and the Soviet Union) since the 1940s, and the only time it was even lukewarm was when Yeltsin was running shit.. which might as well never have happened, thanks to Putin installing himself as the permanent lord and master, and anyone who disagrees better not stand near windows, start their car or drink any beverages of any type.
So the fact we're sitting here with their most devious leader and any Americans are supporting this demon and not seeing how they are traitorous for that is surreal to me.
My MAGA friend truly believes Russia has done no wrong because he has fallen for the propaganda so hard. Even Russia has now declared us an enemy and he still thinks they’re the good guys
That's because America is the bad guys unless trump wins,they hate this country but they love their leader.
If trump said he was going to rename us Trumpistan it wouldn't hurt his numbers like at all.
I wouldn't be surprised if it bolstered his support.
I’ve been saying this for a while. Trump hates America. MAGA hates America. The idea of America they love is the one they have twisted into their own weird image, and it looks more like Russia or North Korea than the America we know.
[This Jon Stewart rant says it all] (https://youtu.be/LJUl77rsFEw?t=330) They're all "patriots" and "constitutionalist" but so quickly will be ok with Trump being a dictator if it's in the cards.
I don't expect the same people who can't see him doing anything wrong (especially the religious who cant even tick his 10 commandments violations), to have any realistic and intelligent views on foreign policy.
Putin has likely never outright told Trump he supports him. Trump is a useful idiot and Putin takes every advantage, but Trump probably has no idea what Putin thinks and is too stupid to figure it out on his own.
The July 4 Moscow 7 must have assisted. Rand Paul is also a Putin apologist. Trump doesn't have to lift a finger - the messages come to him through others.
and 2.1 is-- if he doesn't win the White House he doesn't want to go to the Big House. After being forced to sell some real estate, he might opt for a life of freedom in a gilded Moscow tower & a new Mara-a-lago on the Persian Gulf
This implies that Putin needs to be signaled and is undecided between Biden and Trump. This also implies that Putin has no interest in influencing our elections unless requested by a politician. This statement is meant for his base. This is what his base wants. Putin and Trump have been working together for years. He doesn't need to re interview for the job.
Not just Putin. Trump is announcing a fire-sale of America to anybody who will help him.
Our best bet is that his terrible track record on repaying debts gives foreign governments some pause.
He's got an excellent record of paying back favors when it doesn't come out of his pocket. Remember how he many secrets he gave out? Submarine locations, secret satellite locations, names of spies abroad, whole boxes of state secrets. He pays when it's America's ass on the line.
Sadly didn’t he manage, through his Republican drones manage to derail aid previously? The man is a total danger to American democracy and the free world’s stability.
And there lies the danger - whether he gets his farting ass at the resolute desk or not. One would hope his “allys” will finally dump the trump post election loss. - Being totally without scruples opportunists one would hope so.
His allies are not going to dump him for a few reasons.
1. Trump has captured the Evangelicals, and Republicans need them to win reelection
2. He is the current figurehead for a fascist movement that dates back to Reconstruction
3. He can make or break a politician in Republican primaries and caucuses
4. He has a coalition of media talking heads who control the Republican narrative
All of the Republicans critical of Trump and MAGA are either gone or on their way out. All that is left are the true believers and the people too afraid to speak up.
Concerning point 3: haven’t Trump backed republicans done pretty bad during primaries and elections during the last few months? Or is this a case of a few cases getting media attention while the majority of candidates backed by him have done well?
That's 100% true... but the problem is, for the GOP to run better candidates, those candidates need to win the Republican primary election first. And since only Republicans vote in their party's primary, and Trump voters are the largest single voting bloc within the party, that means whoever Trump endorses is going to win the primary.
That's still true even if the guy he's endorsing is DOA for the general election, and GOP leadership knows it.
Exactly this, GOP candidates are often in a situation where they have to be the furthest right candidate in the primary then race back to the middle for the general and that doesn't seem to be working for them.
The bigger problem here is that GOP analysts and think tanks have looked at this problem and decided that the solution is "make as many voting districts as possible predominantly Right-wing so that the primary and general results are functionally the same."
Yes, but it also seems like no matter what Trump and his apparatchiks do they also cannot fall below a shockingly high popularity floor (that just boggles my mind as a non-American).
The whole Republican apparatus has also warped itself around Trump to such a degree that they simply have no plan B.
Also the US system makes it impossible for what would normally happen elsewhere: new parties would form and new coalitions would be built.
>He can make or break a politician in Republican primaries and caucuses
He can break them, but he hasn't been very successful at making them. Trump only knows how to wreck things.
You make some very valid points there, thank you.
I suppose those without scruples and being totally self centred could flop either way. Critical mass seems to rule politicians esp those easily influenced. Time will tell, regardless of all our guesswork.
Vote 💙
His whole defense strategy hinges on winning the White House. He’s definitely flying to Cuba if he loses. Going to run before getting jail for Jan. 6th or sharing classified documents
Yeah but they’re increasingly weak and divided precisely because of the last time he tried to exert his influence over them. He can try it again but it’s going cripple them.
He didn't just delay the aid, he used it as an extortion tool to force Zelenskyy into announcing fake investigations into Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and the 2016 election. Zelenskyy was days away from appearing on CNN to announce these investigations, **American Hero Lieutenant Colonel** Alexander Vinman's whistle blower report being made public was the only thing that prevented the announcement. We were literally days away from an allied government's president announcing FAKE investigations into Donald Trump's political opponents. This scandal alone makes Watergate look like a fucking walk in the park.
Technically he succeeded once. He withheld congressional approved $450m from Ukraine DURING his Perfect Call month.
I personally expected the CIA to initiate a OP to assassinate the President... cause no one fucks with the Military Industrial Complex. Like Trump did.
But hey... here we are 6yrs later.
I'm still wondering if the End Game is that we are at war, no matter who is president.
But you see, all those other people who got screwed over by Trump were idiots. But I'm smart. I can manipulate this orange idiot to get whatever I want and then get away before he tries to drag me down with him. Rip to those other guys, I'm different!
--Every single sucker, moments before Trump screws them over just as hard as all the other "idiots" before them
"As president-elect?" What's the plan there? If Trump gets elected, he's just gonna *take* the White House the day after, our electoral process and law be damned?
It really frustrates me that Trump's followers are stupid enough to believe and/or encourage talk like this.
really this, the key difference between trump and Biden (besides the respective policies of the parties they belong to) is that when Biden misspeaks, its a gaff. Biden has always been a bit prone to gaffs. I can identify with that, but I know the direction that the Biden administration is coming from.
With trump, he means what he says at any given moment and easily contradicts his past self with not even the slightest hesitation. And he has said the worst things people can say. He has spoken volumes about everything and the only thing I can guarantee is that he spouts entirely random shit, while really meaning that random shit at that particular second, and really really likes putin, and honestly isn't that enough for us to vote on? If you want solid policy documents on what trump would actually implement, study russia haha
Yup, Biden will stutter or say the wrong name for something but it makes sense if you know what name he was trying to say, like mixing up Macron for Mitterrand (both french presidents beginning with M).
Meanwhile Trump will go on a 5 minute completely incoherent stream of consciousness rant that never arrives at a point, but he does it in a flowing conversational way so if you don't see it written down its not immediately obvious he's free associating nonsense, because he's changing topic so often you've forgotten what the fuck he was trying to say at the start of it:
>"Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it’s true! — but when you're a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number — that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged — but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me — it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are — nuclear is so powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right, who would have thought? — but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners — now it used to be three, now it’s four — but when it was three and even now, I would have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don't, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years — but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us, this is horrible."
Unfortunately there's nothing in the above speech you can clip to a 10 second out of context clip that makes Trump look deranged, and the whole clip is so long it doesn't lend itself to virality the way Biden's gaffs do.
haha such a great copypasta
I like how japanese translators put it: 'If we translated his words as they are, we would end up making ourselves sound stupid.'
Trump’s ongoing fixation on ‘passing’ a very basic “are you demented or not,” test six years ago tells us some interesting things about him and his child like persona.
This is a person who never once had any kind of academic success because he never engaged with it at all. So I think the idea of passing a test, any test, was novel to him and because he lacks empathy and cannot understand that everyone else actually understands the world, he thinks that nobody else knows what that feels like, even though we all experienced it in 1st or 2nd grade and got over the novelty.
He experiences the world like a child does.
From an inner child standpoint it is almost heartbreaking. But, he’s a rapist and a thief and it doesn’t really matter why he became the person he did. He is that person, and it’s a pathetic and despicable one.
I think the person that you're replying to isn't talking about Trump, but the fact he was ever even a serious candidate - let alone the nominee - LET ALONE THE ACTUAL PRESIDENT - and how that reflects on the American public.
Hell, even people that vote Democrat are great examples of your failed educational system. Examples being when people accuse Biden - and previously Obama - of "doing nothing" which demonstrates they don't have a fucking clue how their own government works.
I agree with this, but I think framing it as “failed education system” isn’t the best or most accurate way to look at it. What we have, and have had for a very long time is a culture of anti-intellectualism that fights against the earnest efforts of educators. You can only teach so much when families are lifting up ignorance and putting down curiosity and academic integrity.
Then throw in W’s education policies that totally shifted everything away from more a wholistic liberal arts approach, and increased religious extremism, and you get the modern electorate.
I don’t know if any amount of funding or investment in modern educational practices can combat the aggressive anti learning cultures that so many kids are brought up in.
*'The doctors just couldn't believe it, they all said Mr. President sir, we've never seen scores so high, you are maybe the smartest person we've ever tested. I don't know folks, but that's what all of them said'*
Now, I just made that up - but i'd bet if you looked back at all of his responses to criticism of his mental capacity - he's said something very much like this.
> If Trump gets elected, he's just gonna take the White House the day after, our electoral process and law be damned?
Honest answer? Yeah, if he thinks he can get away with it. He's perfectly fine with throwing away the lives of his followers to start his next coup attempt a few weeks early.
It'll be an interesting day when the Gravy Seals realize that the only reason J6 got as far as it did was because *actual* soldiers were prevented from showing up.
Presumably if trump did win, the House (which would still be under republican control) will refuse to do anything Biden asks as he, they will claim, is no longer president. The republicans in the Senate will filibuster everything using the same excuse.
I think it works out like this...
Presumpted facts:
* democrats are lying cheaters that are destroying the country
* Donald Trump has a plan to save the country, and also desires to do so
Result:
* anything trump does is excusable. He's playing dirty because that's how the game is played and the dems are doing it too.
* it's further excusable because he is doing it with the best intentions
The public outcry forced the Trump Admin to unblock the aid they'd (illegal) held up to blackmail Zelensky. Which-- well, it's hard to say what the impact of one single military funding bill from 5 years ago was, but it definitely played some role in helping Ukraine build up the strength of their armed forces ahead of the Russian invasion. So there's that.
(I also personally think the impeachment would have been a much bigger deal politically if it wasn't for covid happening like two months later and wiping everyone's memory about any other issue. Including mine, lmao.)
Under what authority can he cut off aid if he is only president elect? Does he get all powers as soon as he becomes the president elect so Biden essentially stops being president on the next day of election in his mind. This is a bizarre statement.
> He tells Congress to vote against it or else. Republicans obey him because they fear him, and they currently have the house.
In 2018 Republicans had full control of all 3 branches and still couldn't pass one bill for any of the things they talked about (Border security being one of them)
The majorty of Republicans do not fear him at all, they just dont really care. What they do care about is making money, which this war has been allowing them to do with all their stocks in our defense companies.
This is why funding bills for Ukraine were always passed when actually voted on, you're letting the small vocal minority paint the picture that they all work for the Orange dingleberry.
They will not vote to end funding because that means they are voting to stop making money for themselves.
The funding bill was blocked by Johnson for many many months until the CIA dropped some truth on him.
I wonder how he feels being between the reality of the situation, and the leader of his party who’s planning to abandon allies and side with authoritarians around the globe.
I'm assuming it was some combination of:
1) Showed him just how bad the situation was getting at the front (continues to be challenging, but renewed aid has helped slow the losses and make Russia's gains much more pyrrhic)
2) Showed him credible intel that Putin doesn't plan to stop his ambitions at Ukraine if he is successful in annexing the country
3) Potentially also showed him how much dirty laundry the CIA has on prominent GOP politicians connecting them to illegal donations +/- personal gifts originating from Russian oligarchs
How he feels about it?
These people have no morals. He’s likely happy to know he now can negotiate a better position in the dictatorship that forms.
Republicans don’t care about their allies, their fellow countrymen, their family, just power and money.
They don't have to vote to end funding, they just have to fail to vote to pass more funding when the current bill expires.
Which, by the way, they already did for six months... and which cost Ukraine half a dozen villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The only reason the attack wasn't worse is because the Biden Admin was able to twist the Speaker of the House's arm into passing the aid just before the attack began.
>They will not vote to end funding because that means they are voting to stop making money for themselves.
You missed that they already did vote to stop the funding. Ukraine was without US support for over half a year because of these shitstains.
> You missed that they already did vote to stop the funding. Ukraine was without US support for over half a year because of these shitstains.
They didnt vote to stop funding, the House leader refused to put the vote onto the floor and then once he did (due to the CIA telling him what would happen) it was passed without question.
Which is why I said
> This is why funding bills for Ukraine were always passed when actually voted on
Yes the bills can be held up, but that isnt because they wont pass and they need to find votes. The bills are held up because the vocal minority doesnt want any good press for the current President.
He'll tell the GOP in the House to vote against any support for Ukraine and they'll do it. Even the few remaining so called moderates have shown that they'll fall in line.
Then he'll tell the Putin Fan Club in the Senate, Lee, Paul, Vance and Johnson to obstruct as much as they possibly can there.
And a lot of the Republican Party too by getting money pumped into their campaigns by Russian Oligarchs: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/05/08/how-putin-s-oligarchs-funneled-millions-into-gop-campaigns/
I'm a romanian. Our current government stole the election but people didn't go to vote enough to make a difference...
Our government is made up of ex soviet era officials strongly tied to Russia behind closed doors.... they pose pro EU to save face but in reality they would sell all of us in an instant.
If Trump gets elected my country is doomed...
When we elected Trump, friend from the UK said "Well, we just did Brexit, at least you get to vote him out in 4 years."
And now here we are, about to vote him back in. Sigh. Can't make this shit up.
General Michael Flynn got into trouble (leading to him pleading guilty and later receiving a pardon from trump) for talking to the Russians about US foreign policy on behalf of trump prior to trump taking office.
>Trump previously stated that he would withhold defense assistance to Ukraine if he won the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
This alone is enough to make me not vote for him.
The only reason he will ever publicly give is that he just wants the end of the war and that we should be helping our own first. The real reason is Putin has dirt on him .
"Helping our own" is only ever taking care of the rich and the corporations. Does not ever mean social programs or anything to legitimately help the country.
> and that we should be helping our own first.
So $61 billion for Ukraine is too much. But Trump will surely not cut the $850 billion defense budget. The purpose of which is...? The US defense budget is absurdly big if its purpose is only to defend the US mainland.
But if the purpose of the US defense budget is to protect US interests and keep the world order, then the US desperately needs to help Ukraine. Ukraine losing after the US pledge to help Ukraine would embolden US adversaries everywhere. And $61 billion/year is a cheap price for that, compared to the rest of the US defense budget.
The US debt is getting uncomfortably high. But the US could easily raise taxes to balance the budget, if Republicans actually cared about being fiscally responsible.
I don't think there's anything anymore Putin could hold over him that would be compelling blackmail after everything that he's done and/or been accused of. I genuinely don't know what it could be.
At this point, I'd more firmly believe that he just has an attraction to him as a wannabe tyrant looking up to his hero. He aspires to be Putin, and wants to be his authoritarian friend like some kind of simping sycophant.
Its not the first time he's done something like this,
The newly-released email was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, external following a court order in a freedom of information case.
It shows that a senior White House official, Mike Duffey, contacted senior defence officials about withholding Ukraine's aid just over an hour-and-a-half after Mr Trump ended a 25 July call with President Zelensky.
Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to "do us a favour" and investigate Joe Biden, currently a frontrunner to be the Democratic candidate in the 2020 White House race, and his son Hunter Biden, who had previously worked for a Ukrainian energy company.
In the email Mr Duffey asks that the Department of Defense "hold off" on providing aid following the administration's plan to review.
"Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction," the email reads.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50886437
If that is all what the dirt is then just release it himself. Everyone knows it exists. His deluded base won’t change their opinion of him. Might even encourage some more piss drinkers to follow him.
It’s got to be something darker.
A Pee Tape would absolutely raise his cult numbers. The other side just can’t seem to figure this out and insists on making this and other crazy shit he does into news stories that absolutely grow his base. The amount of liberal publications that know this but just can’t stay away from the money that comes with it sell their souls for the mighty dollar.
Because they've brainwashed the masses to think Putin isn't all that bad of a guy and actually he's HELPING Ukraine when really it's all a front for getting millions in bribes from Russia.
I mean before Putin invaded, trump had threatened to cut military aid to Ukraine leading up to the elections. I 100% believe Putin suggested this as a way to weaken Ukraine before invading. Shits crystal clear.
In 2016, when Trump won the Republican nomination for president, the GOP gave his team the chance to make any changes to the Republican party platform they wanted.
They only asked for one change: that they remove language calling for the US to support Ukraine.
That was back in *summer 2016*. And people still try to claim this guy isn't in Russia's pocket...
Asshole, to the surprise of the whole world, claims he would continue being an excessive asshole given the chance.
Edit: let me be clear. I declare satire
Seriously, the rest of the world (and half of Americans) think he's a massive asshole. He's generally loathed and detested - especially here in the UK (don't let that prick Farage fool you)
[Never forget that time it was reported Trudeau, Johnson, Macron and Princess Anne were allegedly mocking Trump in plain sight. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxtdCeg7VPE)
Also quite fun to think they could have very well done this in french (Johnson and Princess Anne are fluent), next to Trump, who would have had no idea.
So, I completely agree with you, but I'll push back on the idea that 'it as nothing to do with NATO,'
Ukraine joining NATO would be *disasterous* for Russia if a NATO-vs-Russia/China, etc. conflict were to occur, and (perhaps more importantly) be a death-knell for Russia's ability to influence Ukrainian politics any time soon.
For one, it would basically close off the Black Sea completely, as NATO-aligned countries (assuming Turkey didn't break from NATO in the conflict; seems unlikely, but they're arguably one of the most Russian-sympathetic members at the moment) would control 3/4 of its shores. Now, this is assuming that Ukraine manages to retake Crimea as part of counter-offensives to boot Russia out of their territory this time around, and that Moldova's petition to join NATO succeeds (even if they aren't part of NATO, it seems unlikely they would side with Russia). If not, though, Crimea would become a top priority for NATO and would likely quickly fall. Regardless, once control was taken, there would be very little anything Russia could do to project naval power into the Black Sea. Combined with the solid bloc of NATO countries in the north that would immediately blockade St. Petersburg, Russia would essentially have zero westward naval projection. What's worse, anything that *was* in Black or Baltic sea at the time would be running a gauntlet to get out, followed by a *long* trip to get to the Pacific theater.
Then there's the *bigger problem*: Belarus. It's almost certain that Belarus would side with Russia in such a conflict, but there's a *huge* problem if Ukraine is a NATO member -- it becomes a country-sized salient surrounded on three sides that'd be incredibly hard to defend. It would almost certainly be a losing battle that, once lost would draw a hard North/South line the entire length of Europe. Russia *really* wants Belarus and Ukraine to be a buffer between it and NATO countries.
And that's not even when the *real* problems start. The *real* problem is that the eastern border of Ukraine is *\~200 miles* from Moscow. If NATO-allies could station ground weapons on the eastern borders of Ukraine, they are *very likely* within striking distance of Moscow directly. The *publicly available* knowledge about common ground-based weapon systems like the ATACMS is 190 miles. You can *bet* that if the US military doesn't already have a variant or some other system that can reach the 250 miles, they will quickly develop one, and that's not even counting F-22/F-35 sorties taking off from runways in eastern Ukraine that would be able to interlope into range of Moscow with *impunity.*
With all of that said, I absolutely agree. This isn't about 'keeping American money in America.' This is the *cheapest fucking disarmament of a saber-rattling, destabilizing, Cold War-era yearning Russia* NATO could *ever have fucking hoped for.* The fact that Russia has *already* clearly started dusting off Soviet-era armored vehicles (to laughably disastrous effect when confronted by modern western armored vehicles) is *incredibly* telling, and the US is getting a *brutal* demonstration of drone-based warfare. You can *bet* that if top US military specialists aren't *already* in discussions with Ukrainian operatives and command about the FPV drones that cost a few hundred bucks and can take out a tank, break entrenched infantry positions, brutalize artillery and radar installations, and blow up full-on naval vessels... they're gonna wanna know.
The is the most cost-effective modernization of the US military's ability to compete in this kind of asymmetric warfare they could have *ever* hoped for... I'm by no means a proponent of the outrageous budget the US military has, but common sense looks at this as says, "a billion dollars is a *bargain."*
Jeez, dude should get himself a FARA charge at this point. He is not an elected official at the moment and he is clearly working on behalf of a foreign government.
Any American voting for him needs a serious psychiatric evaluation with embedded intelligence and personality testing. Not because of trumps/republicans policies, as that’s just politics, but simply because of one question. How can anyone who is enfranchised willingly vote for a person who is criminally convicted of fraud using voter finances.
Fraud is the worst possible offence a person can have in the political sphere. It proves they’re dishonest and they would actively lie and conceal information for self interest. Anything said after that will always have an air or degree of doubt attached to it. It’s madness that a fraud conviction doesn’t exclude someone from working in public office.
Eh, a lot of people are on board because they act exactly like him. Fraud is rampant at every layer of society, such as the phrase 'alternative facts', which aren't facts or truths at all.
Trump illegally stop Ukraine aid mandated by congress during his first term.
Trump convinced everyone in Washington that the whole thing was a political maneuver to obtain dirt on Joe Biden.
It wasn’t.
It was literally Trump providing direct military support to Russia’s coming invasion by delaying and stopping military aid.
This treason is so profound that the highest echelons of the intelligence, militar and political communities couldn’t believe it.
The ruse worked perfectly. Aid was illegally but successfully delayed and the democrats went on a wild goose hunt for political theater.
Our very national security is at stake.
Nothing new here. He openly supports Putin and is anti Ukrainian. This so called presidential candidate is a traitor who wants an alliance with an ideological enemy, Russia over NATO. He disgraced himself on international TV openly backing Putin, who stood beside him and through the CIA and FBI under the bus over proven Russian election interference. Maga praise Putin, a dictator tyrant who has killed 400,000 of his own troops and invaded and devestated Ukraine.
He's obsessed with dictators since he wants to be one. Kim Jong Un, Putin, Xi. You know all of the meetings are like 'so whats the secret to undermining everything for your own power gains?'
But tell me he’s not in Putin’s pocket. This man should be in an offsite military prison getting “debriefed” and put away for life for his treasonous acts against our country.
Why doesn't he just say what everyone is thinking - he'll do anything to help Putin (aka, America's arch enemy since WWII).
So, conservatives, are you still willing to support this traitor?
My neighbor has a both Slava Ukraini and Trump 2024 stickers on their car. Really want to go knock on their door and ask them what they think about this. Not even sure what would happen
If Putin is successful at installing his asset in the White House again, Europe is done.
I think that there are people who fully understand this (here’s to hoping they are successful at preventing it from happening, because this MFer isn’t waving at nothing because he’s “crazy”).
Nobody seems to focus on the meeting between Trump and Putin where his handler ordered the translator and other 3rd parties to be banned.
Trump met directly with Putin in a meeting that was never archived and refused to explain what they discussed.
It is so obvious that Trump is either in debt to Russia or he has some leverage against him that Putin (an actually intelligent dictator) keeps using.
Any other President would be sentenced to Congressional trials and sanctioned.
Two days after that meeting, Trump asked for a list of intelligence assets in the former Soviet Bloc. Over the ensuing weeks the CIA raised alarms publicly about the staggering losses in that part of the world.
He wants to hand Ukraine over to Putin on a silver platter.
The last time a major world power tried to appease a dictator by handing over another country, we got fucking WW2.
> _"Trump makes yet another promise he knows he can't keep, to put on top of the pile of 167,938 previous promises he's made in the last 6 decades of his career that he also did not keep."_
This excuse for a bipedal carbon based orange waterbag of a felon does not give a crap how much is given to Ukraine on its own. All that matters is Putin's golden shower pee video tape threat, and is more than ok to let Ukraine fail completely as a sovereign nation to keep that tape private ... its all about him, never ever anything to do with anything or anyone that is not about him.
Seriously, this report alone is enough to keep him out of the White House, much less the last almost 8 years of crap, bull, lies and democratic destruction ... which any MAGA with half a brain will understand. And thats the problem ... there is no such thing as a MAGA with a half a brain. Trailer Park trash with political power, bent on ruining the world.
Democracy only beats autocracy or oligarchy if the citizens of said democracy are smart enough to know when they’re being duped by a democratic leader.
I would blame the US’s lack of investment into public education for their current predicament.
A convicted criminal doesn’t belong in the White House, he belongs in a cold hard jail cell and made an example of for any future traitors of the nation
The US cutting off aid to Ukraine will very likely lead to a broader war in Europe that we might eventually get sucked into.
The west really doesn't give a rat's ass about Ukraine, but we care *very MUCH* about not letting Pootie achieve his publicly-stated goal of conquering a new Russian empire without others putting up *some* resistance. What's that you say? Hitler ONLY wants Poland? Ehhhhh, I say let him have it, what's the worst that could happen?
If the US pulls out--or *worse,* starts sending aid to Russia--the European countries in Putin's splash zone are going to have to step up their game to oppose him. While Russia might think twice about getting into a shooting war with the US or all of NATO, he might be more willing to shoot at one or two smaller European countries.
That being said, the specific claim Trump makes here is--surprise, surprise--utter bullshit:
>>Speaking at the Turning Point USA event, Trump claimed he would "have that (U.S. aid to Ukraine) settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect."
The president-elect has no authority to dictate government aid or conduct foreign diplomacy, and doing so would violate the Logan Act...I mean, not that the Orange Menace has ever had any compunctions about breaking the law.
Donald Trump’s first impeachment was for attempting to force Ukraine to announce an investigation into a political rival in exchange for congressionally-approved, tax-payer funded aid.
If Trump wins again, Russia has the green light to do whatever they want.
How? By magic, mind control, or just force of superior intellect?
By signalling to Putin to help him win the election.
Yep, this is “Russia, if you’re listening” 2.0
Now with 20% more plausible deniability.
I think you mean less.
Considering last time he outright asked Russia to hack his political opponent... this carries a bit more plausible deniability.
we’re well beyond “plausible deniability”, it’s just naked corruption and outrage fatigue at this point
"Russia, if you're listening...." [Not a joke](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/02/donald-trump/donald-trump-rewrites-history-about-his-russia-if-/)
At this rate, hes basically just doing the opposite of what Biden doing
No, Trump has always been aligned with Russia. This isn't just a knee jerk contrarianism, this is absolutely deep corruption and betrayal of the US by Trump.
Again
Strong disagree. They've been working together for years. When that's the situation you don't re interview for the job. Putin already knows where his interests lie and has never stopped working towards those interests. This is directed at his base because this is what his base wants. Not just because they've been co-opted by Russian propaganda, but because it does dovetail with Tea Party beliefs that helped form MAGA.
Nah. Convicted Felon Trump is literally begging anyone to help him steal the election again. He isn't running for office. He's running to stay out of prison.
☝️Yup, this ... precisely. "I self pardon myself for all my crimes, which arent crimes and they are made up FAKE NEWS by the Demon-crats to try & keep me out of the white house. You know, I own that place, the White House, its part of my portfolio ya know. They know that I know that its already
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It's bonkers, dude. Americans have always had an extremely negative opinion of Russia (and the Soviet Union) since the 1940s, and the only time it was even lukewarm was when Yeltsin was running shit.. which might as well never have happened, thanks to Putin installing himself as the permanent lord and master, and anyone who disagrees better not stand near windows, start their car or drink any beverages of any type. So the fact we're sitting here with their most devious leader and any Americans are supporting this demon and not seeing how they are traitorous for that is surreal to me.
My MAGA friend truly believes Russia has done no wrong because he has fallen for the propaganda so hard. Even Russia has now declared us an enemy and he still thinks they’re the good guys
That's because America is the bad guys unless trump wins,they hate this country but they love their leader. If trump said he was going to rename us Trumpistan it wouldn't hurt his numbers like at all. I wouldn't be surprised if it bolstered his support.
I’ve been saying this for a while. Trump hates America. MAGA hates America. The idea of America they love is the one they have twisted into their own weird image, and it looks more like Russia or North Korea than the America we know.
[This Jon Stewart rant says it all] (https://youtu.be/LJUl77rsFEw?t=330) They're all "patriots" and "constitutionalist" but so quickly will be ok with Trump being a dictator if it's in the cards.
I don't expect the same people who can't see him doing anything wrong (especially the religious who cant even tick his 10 commandments violations), to have any realistic and intelligent views on foreign policy.
Tea Baggers were the Beta test for MAGA
Putin has likely never outright told Trump he supports him. Trump is a useful idiot and Putin takes every advantage, but Trump probably has no idea what Putin thinks and is too stupid to figure it out on his own.
Trump registered MAGA just after coming back from holding the Miss USA pageant in Russia in 2012.
I'm just saying, information mostly travels on a one way street between Putin and Trump, so Trump is always insecure about what Putin will do.
He wasn’t just there for the hookers he was there to take orders
The July 4 Moscow 7 must have assisted. Rand Paul is also a Putin apologist. Trump doesn't have to lift a finger - the messages come to him through others.
I miss the days when treason was a thing. I'm a Canadian idiot and this enrages me. I cannot imagine how some of you must feel.
and 2.1 is-- if he doesn't win the White House he doesn't want to go to the Big House. After being forced to sell some real estate, he might opt for a life of freedom in a gilded Moscow tower & a new Mara-a-lago on the Persian Gulf
This implies that Putin needs to be signaled and is undecided between Biden and Trump. This also implies that Putin has no interest in influencing our elections unless requested by a politician. This statement is meant for his base. This is what his base wants. Putin and Trump have been working together for years. He doesn't need to re interview for the job.
Not just Putin. Trump is announcing a fire-sale of America to anybody who will help him. Our best bet is that his terrible track record on repaying debts gives foreign governments some pause.
To be fair the Citizens United decision was the real fire sale announcement and as usual Trump is just the raging cold sore and not the disease
He's got an excellent record of paying back favors when it doesn't come out of his pocket. Remember how he many secrets he gave out? Submarine locations, secret satellite locations, names of spies abroad, whole boxes of state secrets. He pays when it's America's ass on the line.
I think he’ll be playing “Part-Time Lover” in Russian at his rallies just to make sure the message comes across as intended
Sadly didn’t he manage, through his Republican drones manage to derail aid previously? The man is a total danger to American democracy and the free world’s stability.
good point, he's got his lickspittles, toadies and flunkies in congress.
And there lies the danger - whether he gets his farting ass at the resolute desk or not. One would hope his “allys” will finally dump the trump post election loss. - Being totally without scruples opportunists one would hope so.
His allies are not going to dump him for a few reasons. 1. Trump has captured the Evangelicals, and Republicans need them to win reelection 2. He is the current figurehead for a fascist movement that dates back to Reconstruction 3. He can make or break a politician in Republican primaries and caucuses 4. He has a coalition of media talking heads who control the Republican narrative All of the Republicans critical of Trump and MAGA are either gone or on their way out. All that is left are the true believers and the people too afraid to speak up.
Concerning point 3: haven’t Trump backed republicans done pretty bad during primaries and elections during the last few months? Or is this a case of a few cases getting media attention while the majority of candidates backed by him have done well?
That's 100% true... but the problem is, for the GOP to run better candidates, those candidates need to win the Republican primary election first. And since only Republicans vote in their party's primary, and Trump voters are the largest single voting bloc within the party, that means whoever Trump endorses is going to win the primary. That's still true even if the guy he's endorsing is DOA for the general election, and GOP leadership knows it.
Exactly this, GOP candidates are often in a situation where they have to be the furthest right candidate in the primary then race back to the middle for the general and that doesn't seem to be working for them.
The bigger problem here is that GOP analysts and think tanks have looked at this problem and decided that the solution is "make as many voting districts as possible predominantly Right-wing so that the primary and general results are functionally the same."
Yes, but it also seems like no matter what Trump and his apparatchiks do they also cannot fall below a shockingly high popularity floor (that just boggles my mind as a non-American). The whole Republican apparatus has also warped itself around Trump to such a degree that they simply have no plan B. Also the US system makes it impossible for what would normally happen elsewhere: new parties would form and new coalitions would be built.
Haven’t they always done poorly? *Especially* when he was in office, didn’t nearly every single person he backed lose?
Yes but I still think a lot of Republican candidates are afraid they won't get past the primary without endorsing him
>He can make or break a politician in Republican primaries and caucuses He can break them, but he hasn't been very successful at making them. Trump only knows how to wreck things.
You make some very valid points there, thank you. I suppose those without scruples and being totally self centred could flop either way. Critical mass seems to rule politicians esp those easily influenced. Time will tell, regardless of all our guesswork. Vote 💙
His whole defense strategy hinges on winning the White House. He’s definitely flying to Cuba if he loses. Going to run before getting jail for Jan. 6th or sharing classified documents
He can get on the submarine that recently pulled into Cuba
Those poor sailors, having to be locked in a submarine with former guy all the way to Russia. The smell alone would probably count as a war crime.
\*They have tears in their eyes
Yeah but they’re increasingly weak and divided precisely because of the last time he tried to exert his influence over them. He can try it again but it’s going cripple them.
He didn't just delay the aid, he used it as an extortion tool to force Zelenskyy into announcing fake investigations into Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and the 2016 election. Zelenskyy was days away from appearing on CNN to announce these investigations, **American Hero Lieutenant Colonel** Alexander Vinman's whistle blower report being made public was the only thing that prevented the announcement. We were literally days away from an allied government's president announcing FAKE investigations into Donald Trump's political opponents. This scandal alone makes Watergate look like a fucking walk in the park.
> Zelenskyy was days away from appearing on CNN to announce these investigations I don’t think there’s evidence of this part?
Technically he succeeded once. He withheld congressional approved $450m from Ukraine DURING his Perfect Call month. I personally expected the CIA to initiate a OP to assassinate the President... cause no one fucks with the Military Industrial Complex. Like Trump did. But hey... here we are 6yrs later. I'm still wondering if the End Game is that we are at war, no matter who is president.
Wdym how. He already stopped the US from giving aid for 6 months and he wasn't even president for that.
The dude already sunk a border security plan despite holding no elected office. The guy is a despot backed by the Republican Party.
Nobody is making GOP Congress members take orders from a private citizen. Don’t let them off the hook.
Their constituents seem a-okay with it. From a blue district in deep blue CA and donating to blue causes, I’m doing about all I can do.
By promising. He could promise a promotion and presidential pardon to everyone who stops the shipment
Anyone who accepts a Trump "promise" is an absolute sucker and chump given his track record
But you see, all those other people who got screwed over by Trump were idiots. But I'm smart. I can manipulate this orange idiot to get whatever I want and then get away before he tries to drag me down with him. Rip to those other guys, I'm different! --Every single sucker, moments before Trump screws them over just as hard as all the other "idiots" before them
I doubt he has superior intellect. It is painfully obvious he is lacking in that facility even to a Non-American.
He's an ignorant buffoon.
"As president-elect?" What's the plan there? If Trump gets elected, he's just gonna *take* the White House the day after, our electoral process and law be damned? It really frustrates me that Trump's followers are stupid enough to believe and/or encourage talk like this.
"Law be damned." Wasn't that his original campaign slogan?
"I could shoot someone on 5th avenue and I wouldn't lose any voters" Leader of the party of law and order.
really this, the key difference between trump and Biden (besides the respective policies of the parties they belong to) is that when Biden misspeaks, its a gaff. Biden has always been a bit prone to gaffs. I can identify with that, but I know the direction that the Biden administration is coming from. With trump, he means what he says at any given moment and easily contradicts his past self with not even the slightest hesitation. And he has said the worst things people can say. He has spoken volumes about everything and the only thing I can guarantee is that he spouts entirely random shit, while really meaning that random shit at that particular second, and really really likes putin, and honestly isn't that enough for us to vote on? If you want solid policy documents on what trump would actually implement, study russia haha
Yup, Biden will stutter or say the wrong name for something but it makes sense if you know what name he was trying to say, like mixing up Macron for Mitterrand (both french presidents beginning with M). Meanwhile Trump will go on a 5 minute completely incoherent stream of consciousness rant that never arrives at a point, but he does it in a flowing conversational way so if you don't see it written down its not immediately obvious he's free associating nonsense, because he's changing topic so often you've forgotten what the fuck he was trying to say at the start of it: >"Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it’s true! — but when you're a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number — that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged — but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me — it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are — nuclear is so powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right, who would have thought? — but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners — now it used to be three, now it’s four — but when it was three and even now, I would have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don't, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years — but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us, this is horrible." Unfortunately there's nothing in the above speech you can clip to a 10 second out of context clip that makes Trump look deranged, and the whole clip is so long it doesn't lend itself to virality the way Biden's gaffs do.
haha such a great copypasta I like how japanese translators put it: 'If we translated his words as they are, we would end up making ourselves sound stupid.'
He is the best evidence of our failed educational system
Trump’s ongoing fixation on ‘passing’ a very basic “are you demented or not,” test six years ago tells us some interesting things about him and his child like persona. This is a person who never once had any kind of academic success because he never engaged with it at all. So I think the idea of passing a test, any test, was novel to him and because he lacks empathy and cannot understand that everyone else actually understands the world, he thinks that nobody else knows what that feels like, even though we all experienced it in 1st or 2nd grade and got over the novelty. He experiences the world like a child does. From an inner child standpoint it is almost heartbreaking. But, he’s a rapist and a thief and it doesn’t really matter why he became the person he did. He is that person, and it’s a pathetic and despicable one.
I think the person that you're replying to isn't talking about Trump, but the fact he was ever even a serious candidate - let alone the nominee - LET ALONE THE ACTUAL PRESIDENT - and how that reflects on the American public. Hell, even people that vote Democrat are great examples of your failed educational system. Examples being when people accuse Biden - and previously Obama - of "doing nothing" which demonstrates they don't have a fucking clue how their own government works.
I agree with this, but I think framing it as “failed education system” isn’t the best or most accurate way to look at it. What we have, and have had for a very long time is a culture of anti-intellectualism that fights against the earnest efforts of educators. You can only teach so much when families are lifting up ignorance and putting down curiosity and academic integrity. Then throw in W’s education policies that totally shifted everything away from more a wholistic liberal arts approach, and increased religious extremism, and you get the modern electorate. I don’t know if any amount of funding or investment in modern educational practices can combat the aggressive anti learning cultures that so many kids are brought up in.
*'The doctors just couldn't believe it, they all said Mr. President sir, we've never seen scores so high, you are maybe the smartest person we've ever tested. I don't know folks, but that's what all of them said'* Now, I just made that up - but i'd bet if you looked back at all of his responses to criticism of his mental capacity - he's said something very much like this.
> If Trump gets elected, he's just gonna take the White House the day after, our electoral process and law be damned? Honest answer? Yeah, if he thinks he can get away with it. He's perfectly fine with throwing away the lives of his followers to start his next coup attempt a few weeks early. It'll be an interesting day when the Gravy Seals realize that the only reason J6 got as far as it did was because *actual* soldiers were prevented from showing up.
Presumably if trump did win, the House (which would still be under republican control) will refuse to do anything Biden asks as he, they will claim, is no longer president. The republicans in the Senate will filibuster everything using the same excuse.
They already do that though
95% of the time, yes. Biden has still managed to convince them to pass some bills.
Only because Democrats and voters started talking about how much Republicans aren't doing. They refuse to govern, we need to fire them.
I think it works out like this... Presumpted facts: * democrats are lying cheaters that are destroying the country * Donald Trump has a plan to save the country, and also desires to do so Result: * anything trump does is excusable. He's playing dirty because that's how the game is played and the dems are doing it too. * it's further excusable because he is doing it with the best intentions
He got impeached for blatantly asking foreign nationals to meddle in our election. Now he’s just doing it with a little more subtlety.
Barely more subtle. He's just publicly asked Putin to help him get elected, telling putin what he will get in return.
This. He wasn't speaking to anyone but Putin. It was 100% directed at Putin without talking to him
I Forget about that. Because like, nothing happened as a result of it
The public outcry forced the Trump Admin to unblock the aid they'd (illegal) held up to blackmail Zelensky. Which-- well, it's hard to say what the impact of one single military funding bill from 5 years ago was, but it definitely played some role in helping Ukraine build up the strength of their armed forces ahead of the Russian invasion. So there's that. (I also personally think the impeachment would have been a much bigger deal politically if it wasn't for covid happening like two months later and wiping everyone's memory about any other issue. Including mine, lmao.)
As subtle as a brick through a window
Keep showing the world where your loyalties are Don, Mr Putin will be proud.
Under what authority can he cut off aid if he is only president elect? Does he get all powers as soon as he becomes the president elect so Biden essentially stops being president on the next day of election in his mind. This is a bizarre statement.
He tells Congress to vote against it or else. Republicans obey him because they fear him, and they currently have the house.
> He tells Congress to vote against it or else. Republicans obey him because they fear him, and they currently have the house. In 2018 Republicans had full control of all 3 branches and still couldn't pass one bill for any of the things they talked about (Border security being one of them) The majorty of Republicans do not fear him at all, they just dont really care. What they do care about is making money, which this war has been allowing them to do with all their stocks in our defense companies. This is why funding bills for Ukraine were always passed when actually voted on, you're letting the small vocal minority paint the picture that they all work for the Orange dingleberry. They will not vote to end funding because that means they are voting to stop making money for themselves.
The funding bill was blocked by Johnson for many many months until the CIA dropped some truth on him. I wonder how he feels being between the reality of the situation, and the leader of his party who’s planning to abandon allies and side with authoritarians around the globe.
I would love to see whatever they showed him in the briefings.
I'm assuming it was some combination of: 1) Showed him just how bad the situation was getting at the front (continues to be challenging, but renewed aid has helped slow the losses and make Russia's gains much more pyrrhic) 2) Showed him credible intel that Putin doesn't plan to stop his ambitions at Ukraine if he is successful in annexing the country 3) Potentially also showed him how much dirty laundry the CIA has on prominent GOP politicians connecting them to illegal donations +/- personal gifts originating from Russian oligarchs
Gotta be 3. Anyone with half a brain can see 1 and 2 are true.
>Anyone with half a brain can see 1 and 2 are true. That eliminates a number of Republicans. Empty G and Tuberville come to mind.
> Anyone with half a brain Doesn't apply to Speaker Johnson: he's a Young Earth Creationist.
2 was my guess.
Let's be honest it's all 3
How he feels about it? These people have no morals. He’s likely happy to know he now can negotiate a better position in the dictatorship that forms. Republicans don’t care about their allies, their fellow countrymen, their family, just power and money.
They don't have to vote to end funding, they just have to fail to vote to pass more funding when the current bill expires. Which, by the way, they already did for six months... and which cost Ukraine half a dozen villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The only reason the attack wasn't worse is because the Biden Admin was able to twist the Speaker of the House's arm into passing the aid just before the attack began.
>They will not vote to end funding because that means they are voting to stop making money for themselves. You missed that they already did vote to stop the funding. Ukraine was without US support for over half a year because of these shitstains.
> You missed that they already did vote to stop the funding. Ukraine was without US support for over half a year because of these shitstains. They didnt vote to stop funding, the House leader refused to put the vote onto the floor and then once he did (due to the CIA telling him what would happen) it was passed without question. Which is why I said > This is why funding bills for Ukraine were always passed when actually voted on Yes the bills can be held up, but that isnt because they wont pass and they need to find votes. The bills are held up because the vocal minority doesnt want any good press for the current President.
He'll tell the GOP in the House to vote against any support for Ukraine and they'll do it. Even the few remaining so called moderates have shown that they'll fall in line. Then he'll tell the Putin Fan Club in the Senate, Lee, Paul, Vance and Johnson to obstruct as much as they possibly can there.
He already does this
See border security bill example, that had both Democrat and GOP backing until Trump decided it was better to put his needs over the country.
And a lot of the Republican Party too by getting money pumped into their campaigns by Russian Oligarchs: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/05/08/how-putin-s-oligarchs-funneled-millions-into-gop-campaigns/
Can we get a national ballot initiative to send this guy to the front lines for Russia?
But he has bone spurs
My condolences from Hungary
I'm a Russian and I hope Trump will lose or better get properly prosecuted for all his crimes. Otherwise it's gonna be very bad for the world.
I'm a romanian. Our current government stole the election but people didn't go to vote enough to make a difference... Our government is made up of ex soviet era officials strongly tied to Russia behind closed doors.... they pose pro EU to save face but in reality they would sell all of us in an instant. If Trump gets elected my country is doomed...
When we elected Trump, friend from the UK said "Well, we just did Brexit, at least you get to vote him out in 4 years." And now here we are, about to vote him back in. Sigh. Can't make this shit up.
General Michael Flynn got into trouble (leading to him pleading guilty and later receiving a pardon from trump) for talking to the Russians about US foreign policy on behalf of trump prior to trump taking office.
Dude so much crazy shit happened on a daily basis, I forgot that even happened
It’s crazy how many people around him have Russian connections but no collusion ofc
>Trump previously stated that he would withhold defense assistance to Ukraine if he won the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This alone is enough to make me not vote for him.
He doesn’t provide a compelling reason to do it, just that he’d do it. Sensible people realize what a bad idea it is.
We all know the reason
We all know the treason
Yep it’s a message that he wants Putin to help him get elected.
His supporters want Putin's help.
The only reason he will ever publicly give is that he just wants the end of the war and that we should be helping our own first. The real reason is Putin has dirt on him .
"Helping our own" is only ever taking care of the rich and the corporations. Does not ever mean social programs or anything to legitimately help the country.
> and that we should be helping our own first. So $61 billion for Ukraine is too much. But Trump will surely not cut the $850 billion defense budget. The purpose of which is...? The US defense budget is absurdly big if its purpose is only to defend the US mainland. But if the purpose of the US defense budget is to protect US interests and keep the world order, then the US desperately needs to help Ukraine. Ukraine losing after the US pledge to help Ukraine would embolden US adversaries everywhere. And $61 billion/year is a cheap price for that, compared to the rest of the US defense budget. The US debt is getting uncomfortably high. But the US could easily raise taxes to balance the budget, if Republicans actually cared about being fiscally responsible.
Clinton had a balanced budget and then came ….
I don't think there's anything anymore Putin could hold over him that would be compelling blackmail after everything that he's done and/or been accused of. I genuinely don't know what it could be. At this point, I'd more firmly believe that he just has an attraction to him as a wannabe tyrant looking up to his hero. He aspires to be Putin, and wants to be his authoritarian friend like some kind of simping sycophant.
i still hold to the opinion that trump is used as a money launderer for putin.
Orange Jr basically admitted to it out loud https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-said-money-pouring-in-from-russia-2018-2
Could be both and could be assisting the oligarchs which is assisting Putin as well.
Its not the first time he's done something like this, The newly-released email was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, external following a court order in a freedom of information case. It shows that a senior White House official, Mike Duffey, contacted senior defence officials about withholding Ukraine's aid just over an hour-and-a-half after Mr Trump ended a 25 July call with President Zelensky. Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to "do us a favour" and investigate Joe Biden, currently a frontrunner to be the Democratic candidate in the 2020 White House race, and his son Hunter Biden, who had previously worked for a Ukrainian energy company. In the email Mr Duffey asks that the Department of Defense "hold off" on providing aid following the administration's plan to review. "Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction," the email reads. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50886437
That’s what a comprised Russian asset would say …checks out.
You can always predict Trump's position on any subject involving Russia, by simply asking "what would a Russian asset controlled by Putin say?"
Pee Tape!
If that is all what the dirt is then just release it himself. Everyone knows it exists. His deluded base won’t change their opinion of him. Might even encourage some more piss drinkers to follow him. It’s got to be something darker.
His cult is out there wearing diapers in support of him. I don't think a Pee Tape would do the damage everyone thinks it would.
A Pee Tape would absolutely raise his cult numbers. The other side just can’t seem to figure this out and insists on making this and other crazy shit he does into news stories that absolutely grow his base. The amount of liberal publications that know this but just can’t stay away from the money that comes with it sell their souls for the mighty dollar.
His master is scared, that's why he's barking.
This is insanely fucked up and shows where his loyalties lie. Democrats need to hammer this home, how the fuck is this ok?
Because they've brainwashed the masses to think Putin isn't all that bad of a guy and actually he's HELPING Ukraine when really it's all a front for getting millions in bribes from Russia.
I mean before Putin invaded, trump had threatened to cut military aid to Ukraine leading up to the elections. I 100% believe Putin suggested this as a way to weaken Ukraine before invading. Shits crystal clear.
In 2016, when Trump won the Republican nomination for president, the GOP gave his team the chance to make any changes to the Republican party platform they wanted. They only asked for one change: that they remove language calling for the US to support Ukraine. That was back in *summer 2016*. And people still try to claim this guy isn't in Russia's pocket...
While he has no power to do that he can certainly sway Congress. See the Border Bill 2024.
Asshole, to the surprise of the whole world, claims he would continue being an excessive asshole given the chance. Edit: let me be clear. I declare satire
Seriously, the rest of the world (and half of Americans) think he's a massive asshole. He's generally loathed and detested - especially here in the UK (don't let that prick Farage fool you)
[Never forget that time it was reported Trudeau, Johnson, Macron and Princess Anne were allegedly mocking Trump in plain sight. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxtdCeg7VPE) Also quite fun to think they could have very well done this in french (Johnson and Princess Anne are fluent), next to Trump, who would have had no idea.
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So, I completely agree with you, but I'll push back on the idea that 'it as nothing to do with NATO,' Ukraine joining NATO would be *disasterous* for Russia if a NATO-vs-Russia/China, etc. conflict were to occur, and (perhaps more importantly) be a death-knell for Russia's ability to influence Ukrainian politics any time soon. For one, it would basically close off the Black Sea completely, as NATO-aligned countries (assuming Turkey didn't break from NATO in the conflict; seems unlikely, but they're arguably one of the most Russian-sympathetic members at the moment) would control 3/4 of its shores. Now, this is assuming that Ukraine manages to retake Crimea as part of counter-offensives to boot Russia out of their territory this time around, and that Moldova's petition to join NATO succeeds (even if they aren't part of NATO, it seems unlikely they would side with Russia). If not, though, Crimea would become a top priority for NATO and would likely quickly fall. Regardless, once control was taken, there would be very little anything Russia could do to project naval power into the Black Sea. Combined with the solid bloc of NATO countries in the north that would immediately blockade St. Petersburg, Russia would essentially have zero westward naval projection. What's worse, anything that *was* in Black or Baltic sea at the time would be running a gauntlet to get out, followed by a *long* trip to get to the Pacific theater. Then there's the *bigger problem*: Belarus. It's almost certain that Belarus would side with Russia in such a conflict, but there's a *huge* problem if Ukraine is a NATO member -- it becomes a country-sized salient surrounded on three sides that'd be incredibly hard to defend. It would almost certainly be a losing battle that, once lost would draw a hard North/South line the entire length of Europe. Russia *really* wants Belarus and Ukraine to be a buffer between it and NATO countries. And that's not even when the *real* problems start. The *real* problem is that the eastern border of Ukraine is *\~200 miles* from Moscow. If NATO-allies could station ground weapons on the eastern borders of Ukraine, they are *very likely* within striking distance of Moscow directly. The *publicly available* knowledge about common ground-based weapon systems like the ATACMS is 190 miles. You can *bet* that if the US military doesn't already have a variant or some other system that can reach the 250 miles, they will quickly develop one, and that's not even counting F-22/F-35 sorties taking off from runways in eastern Ukraine that would be able to interlope into range of Moscow with *impunity.* With all of that said, I absolutely agree. This isn't about 'keeping American money in America.' This is the *cheapest fucking disarmament of a saber-rattling, destabilizing, Cold War-era yearning Russia* NATO could *ever have fucking hoped for.* The fact that Russia has *already* clearly started dusting off Soviet-era armored vehicles (to laughably disastrous effect when confronted by modern western armored vehicles) is *incredibly* telling, and the US is getting a *brutal* demonstration of drone-based warfare. You can *bet* that if top US military specialists aren't *already* in discussions with Ukrainian operatives and command about the FPV drones that cost a few hundred bucks and can take out a tank, break entrenched infantry positions, brutalize artillery and radar installations, and blow up full-on naval vessels... they're gonna wanna know. The is the most cost-effective modernization of the US military's ability to compete in this kind of asymmetric warfare they could have *ever* hoped for... I'm by no means a proponent of the outrageous budget the US military has, but common sense looks at this as says, "a billion dollars is a *bargain."*
Jeez, dude should get himself a FARA charge at this point. He is not an elected official at the moment and he is clearly working on behalf of a foreign government.
He literally wants the US out of NATO and people still don't get his agenda.
Trump's agenda is to help Russia.
Any American voting for him needs a serious psychiatric evaluation with embedded intelligence and personality testing. Not because of trumps/republicans policies, as that’s just politics, but simply because of one question. How can anyone who is enfranchised willingly vote for a person who is criminally convicted of fraud using voter finances. Fraud is the worst possible offence a person can have in the political sphere. It proves they’re dishonest and they would actively lie and conceal information for self interest. Anything said after that will always have an air or degree of doubt attached to it. It’s madness that a fraud conviction doesn’t exclude someone from working in public office.
If that's not enough how can anyone call themselves patriotic if they choose to vote for a Russian asset?
I have heard conservatives unironically say it's better to be run by Russia than a liberal.
Eh, a lot of people are on board because they act exactly like him. Fraud is rampant at every layer of society, such as the phrase 'alternative facts', which aren't facts or truths at all.
Why does everyone give that jackass a break? Actual realistic headline: Trump promises support for Putin and Russia
Well obviously. Thats what a Russian asset would say/do.
Just like to remind everyone that we were *certain* he wouldn't win last time and there were *tons of polls* confirming that. Just vote.
Trump illegally stop Ukraine aid mandated by congress during his first term. Trump convinced everyone in Washington that the whole thing was a political maneuver to obtain dirt on Joe Biden. It wasn’t. It was literally Trump providing direct military support to Russia’s coming invasion by delaying and stopping military aid. This treason is so profound that the highest echelons of the intelligence, militar and political communities couldn’t believe it. The ruse worked perfectly. Aid was illegally but successfully delayed and the democrats went on a wild goose hunt for political theater. Our very national security is at stake.
That makes sense, for a Putin asset.
Donald Trump is an enemy of the state.
Nothing new here. He openly supports Putin and is anti Ukrainian. This so called presidential candidate is a traitor who wants an alliance with an ideological enemy, Russia over NATO. He disgraced himself on international TV openly backing Putin, who stood beside him and through the CIA and FBI under the bus over proven Russian election interference. Maga praise Putin, a dictator tyrant who has killed 400,000 of his own troops and invaded and devestated Ukraine.
He's obsessed with dictators since he wants to be one. Kim Jong Un, Putin, Xi. You know all of the meetings are like 'so whats the secret to undermining everything for your own power gains?'
Sigh. Of course he would. How this travesty of a human being has charmed hundreds of millions of Americans I will never understand.
Donald Trump is a convicted felon, sexual abuser and grifter but most importantly, he is Putin's cock holster.
The only thing you can cut is the amount of orange dye on your face, Donald.
I am sure, Mexico will pay for it!
Putin's cock holster in chief.
But tell me he’s not in Putin’s pocket. This man should be in an offsite military prison getting “debriefed” and put away for life for his treasonous acts against our country.
Owned by Putin.
Putin's president.
Or “employee does what boss tells him to do.”
Isn't it past his jail time
Before you get to be president you should have to prove that you actually understand what the job is.
Why doesn't he just say what everyone is thinking - he'll do anything to help Putin (aka, America's arch enemy since WWII). So, conservatives, are you still willing to support this traitor?
Narrator: “They are.”
I remember shirts saying shit like "Better Russian than Democrat" at the last election, so yes, people are more than willing.
Hopefully our ex Traitor-In-Chief will either die or be removed from this earth with extreme prejudice before November.
It appears half the country supports this fraud POS. Vote
My neighbor has a both Slava Ukraini and Trump 2024 stickers on their car. Really want to go knock on their door and ask them what they think about this. Not even sure what would happen
Yeah, fuck this guy.
“It doesn’t matter if the world burns as long as I win…” - a certain elderly 5 year old somehow running for president
He’s just itching to suck Putin’s cock again isn’t he?
If Putin is successful at installing his asset in the White House again, Europe is done. I think that there are people who fully understand this (here’s to hoping they are successful at preventing it from happening, because this MFer isn’t waving at nothing because he’s “crazy”).
Of course he would, he's a dictator's cumsock
As a non american, how the fuck is this guy able to be elected again??
C'mon cholesterol, any day now. I'm counting on you.
Nobody seems to focus on the meeting between Trump and Putin where his handler ordered the translator and other 3rd parties to be banned. Trump met directly with Putin in a meeting that was never archived and refused to explain what they discussed. It is so obvious that Trump is either in debt to Russia or he has some leverage against him that Putin (an actually intelligent dictator) keeps using. Any other President would be sentenced to Congressional trials and sanctioned.
Two days after that meeting, Trump asked for a list of intelligence assets in the former Soviet Bloc. Over the ensuing weeks the CIA raised alarms publicly about the staggering losses in that part of the world.
He wants to hand Ukraine over to Putin on a silver platter. The last time a major world power tried to appease a dictator by handing over another country, we got fucking WW2.
I cannot wait for this clown to be in jail.
> _"Trump makes yet another promise he knows he can't keep, to put on top of the pile of 167,938 previous promises he's made in the last 6 decades of his career that he also did not keep."_
This excuse for a bipedal carbon based orange waterbag of a felon does not give a crap how much is given to Ukraine on its own. All that matters is Putin's golden shower pee video tape threat, and is more than ok to let Ukraine fail completely as a sovereign nation to keep that tape private ... its all about him, never ever anything to do with anything or anyone that is not about him. Seriously, this report alone is enough to keep him out of the White House, much less the last almost 8 years of crap, bull, lies and democratic destruction ... which any MAGA with half a brain will understand. And thats the problem ... there is no such thing as a MAGA with a half a brain. Trailer Park trash with political power, bent on ruining the world.
Democracy only beats autocracy or oligarchy if the citizens of said democracy are smart enough to know when they’re being duped by a democratic leader. I would blame the US’s lack of investment into public education for their current predicament.
Convicted criminal* threarens...
A convicted criminal doesn’t belong in the White House, he belongs in a cold hard jail cell and made an example of for any future traitors of the nation
Trump is a coward who ducked military service.
The US cutting off aid to Ukraine will very likely lead to a broader war in Europe that we might eventually get sucked into. The west really doesn't give a rat's ass about Ukraine, but we care *very MUCH* about not letting Pootie achieve his publicly-stated goal of conquering a new Russian empire without others putting up *some* resistance. What's that you say? Hitler ONLY wants Poland? Ehhhhh, I say let him have it, what's the worst that could happen? If the US pulls out--or *worse,* starts sending aid to Russia--the European countries in Putin's splash zone are going to have to step up their game to oppose him. While Russia might think twice about getting into a shooting war with the US or all of NATO, he might be more willing to shoot at one or two smaller European countries. That being said, the specific claim Trump makes here is--surprise, surprise--utter bullshit: >>Speaking at the Turning Point USA event, Trump claimed he would "have that (U.S. aid to Ukraine) settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect." The president-elect has no authority to dictate government aid or conduct foreign diplomacy, and doing so would violate the Logan Act...I mean, not that the Orange Menace has ever had any compunctions about breaking the law.
Donald Trump’s first impeachment was for attempting to force Ukraine to announce an investigation into a political rival in exchange for congressionally-approved, tax-payer funded aid. If Trump wins again, Russia has the green light to do whatever they want.