Donald Trump continues to heap praise on the world's most notorious authoritarians. During a Saturday rally for his slobbering acolytes, Trump called China's leader “smart” for ruling over his country "with an iron fist," praised North Korea's murderous dictator as "tough," but of course spent most of his time waffling between praise for Russian kleptocrat Vladimir Putin and halfhearted condemnations of Putin's invasion.
Mostly, however, Trump once again proved why he was the most brazenly incompetent, ignorant, and dull-minded person ever thrown into the Oval Office. To Donald Trump, deciding to murder tens of thousands for the sake of annexing a country is no different from any other botched business deal. Trump, who embodies narcissism down to every last clinical detail, still appears unable to grasp even the most catastrophic of world events in any capacity except as they relate to his own ambitions or goals.
There are a great many Americans who can listen to this weird, nonsensical rambling without getting the urge to shove screwdrivers in both ears, which says more about the current state of America than historians will ever be able to. The man is an incompetent, sociopathic ass.
Yes, Putin is "smart," says Donald Trump, having already explained to us that his definition of "smart" is when a person disregards all law and morality rule over others or just kills them outright. And "that's a hell of a way to negotiate," putting "200,000 troops on the border."
It was "a big mistake, but it looked like a great negotiation." But it "didn't work out too well for him."
It's not often that Trump can still muster anything but word salad in his rally speeches, but an extended riff comparing a murderous war of conquest as a "great negotiation" that was flawed only because it "didn't work out too well" does manage to be quite emphatically worse.
A business deal. Leveling Ukrainian cities is, to the man who himself tried to join the dictators of the world with a violent coup of his own, just a business deal.
It should go without saying at this point, but we're going to say it anyway: Anyone who so much as remains in the Republican Party as a voter, anywhere in America, is in league with this walking horror show. The extortion, the coup attempt, the eagerness to lie and mislead and harm for personal benefit, the mocking of pandemic deaths and of international war—all of it. The fascist party can no longer keep government running, much less respond to a worldwide crisis, but the contempt for basic human decency is the most defining.
Trump has tried mightily to distance himself from his past support for Putin, now that Putin has launched an all-out war to attempt to boost his own domestic glory, but he just cannot stomach doing it for long. This clip shows why; to him, large-scale, industrialized murder is merely another negotiation, one that he can only judge based on whether the murder is proving effective or whether it "didn't work out." It's the same reason he was glued to his television set during the Jan. 6 violence, refusing to take action; in his own head, there was no action he should take until his television set told him who was most likely to win.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 2:33:50 AM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill
Continuing coverage can be found here.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:47:00 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
One of the most followed daily updates of the situation in Ukraine is up. The key events for the day are Ukraine’s capture of Irpin on the west of Kyiv, and of Rudnyts'ke to the east of Kyiv. Both actions move Russian ground forces further from the capital.
Meanwhile, Russia staged a number of attacks in the Donbas, but doesn’t seem to have made measurable gains.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:48:59 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
It seems that Ukrainian forces are following up on the recapture of Irvin by cleaning up some smaller locations and extending their area of control along major highways.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:55:38 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Another new thread from historian Kamel Galeev. How the West responds to Putin’s invasion will reshape Russia—and everywhere else.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 1:22:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
We are at the point where tanks may have started out with Russia, been captured by Ukraine, then been captured from Ukraine by separatists, then captured by Ukraine. Again.
These captures may indicate Ukraine’s military was more active in the Kherson area on Monday than the maps are showing.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 1:46:07 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hopefully, we’ll get some bulletins on those “senior leaders” as we have Russian generals.
Mostly, however, Trump once again proved why he was the most brazenly incompetent, ignorant, and dull-minded person ever thrown into the Oval Office. To Donald Trump, deciding to murder tens of thousands for the sake of annexing a country is no different from any other botched business deal. Trump, who embodies narcissism down to every last clinical detail, still appears unable to grasp even the most catastrophic of world events in any capacity except as they relate to his own ambitions or goals.
There are a great many Americans who can listen to this weird, nonsensical rambling without getting the urge to shove screwdrivers in both ears, which says more about the current state of America than historians will ever be able to. The man is an incompetent, sociopathic ass.
Yes, Putin is "smart," says Donald Trump, having already explained to us that his definition of "smart" is when a person disregards all law and morality rule over others or just kills them outright. And "that's a hell of a way to negotiate," putting "200,000 troops on the border."
It was "a big mistake, but it looked like a great negotiation." But it "didn't work out too well for him."
It's not often that Trump can still muster anything but word salad in his rally speeches, but an extended riff comparing a murderous war of conquest as a "great negotiation" that was flawed only because it "didn't work out too well" does manage to be quite emphatically worse.
A business deal. Leveling Ukrainian cities is, to the man who himself tried to join the dictators of the world with a violent coup of his own, just a business deal.
It should go without saying at this point, but we're going to say it anyway: Anyone who so much as remains in the Republican Party as a voter, anywhere in America, is in league with this walking horror show. The extortion, the coup attempt, the eagerness to lie and mislead and harm for personal benefit, the mocking of pandemic deaths and of international war—all of it. The fascist party can no longer keep government running, much less respond to a worldwide crisis, but the contempt for basic human decency is the most defining.
Trump has tried mightily to distance himself from his past support for Putin, now that Putin has launched an all-out war to attempt to boost his own domestic glory, but he just cannot stomach doing it for long. This clip shows why; to him, large-scale, industrialized murder is merely another negotiation, one that he can only judge based on whether the murder is proving effective or whether it "didn't work out." It's the same reason he was glued to his television set during the Jan. 6 violence, refusing to take action; in his own head, there was no action he should take until his television set told him who was most likely to win.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 2:33:50 AM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill
Continuing coverage can be found here.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:47:00 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
One of the most followed daily updates of the situation in Ukraine is up. The key events for the day are Ukraine’s capture of Irpin on the west of Kyiv, and of Rudnyts'ke to the east of Kyiv. Both actions move Russian ground forces further from the capital.
Meanwhile, Russia staged a number of attacks in the Donbas, but doesn’t seem to have made measurable gains.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:48:59 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
It seems that Ukrainian forces are following up on the recapture of Irvin by cleaning up some smaller locations and extending their area of control along major highways.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 12:55:38 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Another new thread from historian Kamel Galeev. How the West responds to Putin’s invasion will reshape Russia—and everywhere else.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 1:22:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
We are at the point where tanks may have started out with Russia, been captured by Ukraine, then been captured from Ukraine by separatists, then captured by Ukraine. Again.
These captures may indicate Ukraine’s military was more active in the Kherson area on Monday than the maps are showing.
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 1:46:07 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hopefully, we’ll get some bulletins on those “senior leaders” as we have Russian generals.