Putin Is Going to Invade Ukraine, but at Least Trump Isn’t President

Trumpists seem happy to see an authoritarian attack a democracy

Wajahat Ali
GEN

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Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with US President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in 2019.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019, in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images.

I’m grateful Donald Trump isn’t president while Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to send Russian troops to Ukraine.

Putin made the announcement to invade Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern territories in Ukraine, on what he described as “peacekeeping functions,” but what the rest of the pro-democratic world recognizes as his desperate, dangerous, and delusional desire to create a glorious Russian empire before he dies and enters Valhalla on a horse — shirtless, shiny, and chrome.

Naturally, Trump responded by calling Putin’s destabilizing aggression “genius” and praised him as “very savvy.”

If you want excellent coverage on Russia and Ukraine, I’d recommend following journalists Julia Ioffe and Terrell Starr, who are cranking out valuable information and insights despite being overwhelmed and exhausted.

For this essay, let me concentrate briefly on the domestic front where this latest dangerous aggression by Trump’s favorite bloody autocrat reminds us of the importance of elections and how both political parties are not the same, despite increasing cynicism and disappointment over partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C.

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Wajahat Ali
GEN
Writer for

Author of GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM…; The Daily Beast Columnist; Senior Fellow Western States Center; wajahatmali@protonmail.com