As I was writing the previous report, Trump had tweeted something which has nearly “broken the internet”—at least the Russo-Ukrainian political side of it. I figured it would be more fitting to do a quick separate article on the matter, given that it seemed immediately obvious to me what was happening, and required no further rumination.
Yes, ol’ Devious Don has shocked the world with a new “180-degree turn” on Ukraine, as expressed in his latest diatribe-as-tweet. In it, the Donald suddenly reverses course to fully back Ukraine fighting on and retaking all of its ‘historic’ land from Russia to the 1991 borders and even beyond, as he implies Ukraine could perhaps even march on Moscow, taking cues from Yushchenko’s latest enlightened turn.
Some even see this as a kind of major declaration of war against Russia, and proof that the US will now funnel every imaginable weapon, and do everything in its power to “defeat” Russia in this mother-of-all-proxies .
Without further ado, the scandalous screed in question:
It has unleashed a torrent of teeth-gnashing “told-you-sos”, “fell-for-it-again-award” disbursals, and other “gotcha” slams from the doomer corner which considers the decisive tweet as the triumphal vindication of their long-held narrative that Trump would end up escalating to wage war on Russia.
But, being ever the contrarian, I must beg to differ on this view, as there are clear signs of something entirely different going on, if you read between the lines—and maybe even if you don’t.
My thoughts:
Trump’s rant has clear signs of light trolling, mixed with exasperation and a kind of play-acting performance that essentially seeks to dump the war on Europe and NATO in a way that nobly leaves him looking the team-player and ardent supporter. If you really read between the lines, you begin to smell the saccharine sarcasm: “Yep, you guys sure were right! How could I have missed it? Ukraine is much stronger than I thought, and it can not only take back ALL its territory, but even plow all the way to Moscow!”
This appears to be an advanced form of trolling. And the fact that Trump flatly states “with the support of Europe and NATO”—rather than the US—means he’s washing his hands of the conflict. The small gibes against Russia are merely his way of expressing disappointment with Putin for not sucking up to him and handing him that easy Nobel Peace Prize on a golden platter.
We saw recently that Trump had already out-maneuvered Europe by forcing them to put-up-or-shutup: this is merely the logical continuation and conclusion of that play. Here he’s bowing out of the war by exaggerating his loyalty to the Establishment directive—it’s a performance, and a good one, considering how many people fell for it.
A big clue to the theater was his small media photo-op with Macron, where Trump recounted his blockbuster tweet while adding in a little mocking pizazz in his characteristic style, when he tells Macron not only that “I hear France is doing very well” but also that “We’ve gotten along on almost everything imaginable”:
Anyone who can’t recognize the classic teasing game Trump is playing here likely does not quite understand his characteristic “style”. With its latest collapsed government, riots, and social disorder, France is doing worse than ever, and Trump knows this—while Trump and Macron’s relationship is virtually famous for its disagreements; so this statement provides a kind of ‘key’ or ‘legend’ to gleaning the Don’s eccentric mental games when it comes to the latest U-turn.
What he’s really done is recognized that the media and his opponents won’t cut him any slack—which his ego is extremely sensitive to—unless he exaggerates his praise and commitment to the Establishment ‘cause’ by rallying for Ukraine in his final bow. So he went and flipped the script: “They want hysterical cheerleading? Fine, I’ll give it to them.”
After getting into ‘character’, he says: “Ah yes, now I’ve seen the light. Ukraine can win the war and conquer Moscow, good luck to everyone involved, have fun!”
Sadly, Zelensky has again fallen for the trap. He was absolutely wide-eyed with child-like glee and relief during his meeting with Trump today, tragically clueless to the fact that he’d again been set up and thrown to the wolves by ‘Daddy’.
It’s vivid as day:
And with that, he’s washed his hands of the whole thing, while proudly raking in the profits from the “killing” he so vocally decried—from an earlier statement:
But I do aver this could be a very controversial opinion of mine, given how many people are well wroth with righteous fury over in social media land. Perhaps I’ll turn out to be wrong on this latest Trump twist. One thing is certain, it’s not any kind of usual ‘5D’ Qanon coping that has led to this conclusion, but rather the pieces falling into place into a logical ‘exit strategy’ for Trump, with his usual theatrical flair.
As much a tough guy as Trump likes to portray, he’s actually quite agreeable to a fault, when it comes to pleasing his friends, partners, and even critics. The latest performance gives a deliberately schlocky ‘bow out’ to stage left while leaving his duped audience beaming effusively with dull-eyed stares of counterfeit triumph.
But do let me know what you think.
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