Phillips, let us translate, “Trump wants what Putin wants” into something that Occam’s Razor would tell us: Trump is a Russian Asset. It is as plain and simple as that. Europe needs to understand it. We in the US need to accept it and act accordingly.
The secondary question, and one that does not matter is why and the method of control? Why is it the entire GOP left standing won’t cross Trump? When all other explanations fail, Occam’s Razor tells me they have “kompromat” of some kind on all of them. Trump did this using the National Enquirer for years.
Hi Paul, I hear what you are saying. However I am uncomfortable in saying he is a recruited Russian agent. Its more likely a combination of major financial incentive, possible blackmail opportunities, and the fact that he has identified with Russia after the 2016 campaign. Yet, he is acting in a way similar to a Russian agent of influence...
Phillips, I know you have been uncomfortable with this. But when one looks at record evidence, and ties to the Russian mafia that go back to the late 1980s, his travels to Russia, etc. whether he was recruited in the traditional espionage sense or not, the bottom line is he is a Russian asset. He acts like, talks like it, and is steering the US in that direction as hard as he can. We must treat him and all of his had picked cabinet members as such.
I hope Europe understands this and knows that any intel sharing with the US is liable to end up in Moscow. Damn, even Bibi gets it! They kept the US in the dark about its operation against Iran.
I don't believe in kompromat for a very simple reason: Trump is incapable of feeling shame. That's his superpower. Unlike your average dissembling politician, Trump does not hesitate to say anything he feels like saying at the moment, regardless of how easy it is to disprove it. And then the next day he may well say something opposite and deny what he said the day before. He just feels no shame or even discomfort. You simply can't blackmail someone like that by threatening to release information that makes him look bad. He just does not care. And what is it that they could possibly have on him that's worse than 34 felony convictions, a coup attempt, being adjudicated a rapist and a fraudster, a bunch of bankruptcies and failed businesses, tons of stupid and/or offensive quotes etc.?
Theoretically possible, but I just can't imagine what would cause an average Republican NOT to say yet again, "But the Left is still worse". So much of conservatism nowadays is simply being reflexively against the Left.
It would certainly seem so on the surface that Trump literally cannot be shamed. But there is evidence to the contrary. One example is his failure to release his taxes. It comes out in court that much was falsified, and while he is not “shamed” by it, he knows it hurts him and his brand. Another example is the Stormy Daniels saga. Why pay to have it hushed up? Clearly it is something he knows hurts him. So while he may have no shame, he is at least smart enough to understand the release of certain information can damage him in other ways.
Exactly what I was about to write. Stormy Daniels thing shows that he does not want certain things to show up. And if the material is something sexual that would make him seem unmanly as is rumored I think that he especially would not like that to come out. On top of which, for something like that Putin would likely have videos and videos being shared everywhere online would play out much differently than just rumors.
He paid Stormy before his first election when he did not yet know his full power. At that time he even apologized for "Access Hollywood" tape. Now he would instead brag about both - and see his popularity rise.
Yes, he's secretive about his finances because he protects his fake brand. But I don't think Russia has complete information with incontrovertible proof. I mean, if Trump asserts that Mar-a-Lago is worth certain amount, how can Putin prove it's worth 10 times less?!
"Trump on Monday called the 9th Circuit’s ruling for him “a total and complete victory and vindication for, and of me,” and reiterated his claim not to have had sex with Daniels."
I agree that his followers don't care about him having sex with her, but it seems like he still does.
What could be worse? Video, him fornicating with pre-teen girls. I have no data on whether or not this is true, but I believe that would cross enough lines.
Even worse…play along outwardly and sabotage NATO from within which is what Putin really wants. If Trump flat pulled the US out of NATO (btw, he cannot as it would require action in the Senate where he does not have enough votes) it would cause Europe to immediately do what Putin does not want them to do…rearm and prepare.
Well, Trump demands a 5% raise in defens budgets, which he gets probably. And there will be discussion on the Iran policy of Netanyahu. The Europeans are increasingly sceptic about his war policy, that may be a point of controvercy with Trump, if he keeps on backing Netanyahu.
It diverts the debate away from Ukraine, what Putin might like. It creates a feeling of western disagreement or political chaos. That is what Putin is probably after.
It is then to the Europeans to stick together and speed up the rearmement
You are so correct on how the NATO meetings may play out. But the way Trump acts it is as if other NATO members have no agency. That is far from the case. Macron visiting Greenland is but a small example. 5% is a thinking that money will come to US arms manufacturers, but Europe is already now charting their own course and that is not what Trump wants at all…US has no veto power over use of homegrown European systems! Putin is already not liking that seeing Ukraine develop with EU help homegrown systems and Merz basically releasing Ukraine to use European systems as they see fit.
>However I am uncomfortable in saying he is a recruited Russian agent.
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
I understand you are rightfully uncomfortable in saying: "he is a recruited Russian agent"; but the golden rule is saying : "he looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck."
I think it is pretty clear Russia has power over Trump.
It is also clear Russia has to much power over Trump.
The main question is: How much power does Russia have over Trump and many other important players in the USA and Europe.
Which reminds me of the Israeli operations in Iran.
Well, Trump is a recruited Russian asset. We have direct testimony from Alnur Mussayev, who would know. And then we have corroborating evidence from other sources. At this point, the burden of proof is on anyone trying to claim that Trump *isn't* a recruited Russian asset.
Do you thino the Iran-Israel conflict likely to affect Iranian supply of defence materiel to Russia? Or have the Iranians done the tech transfer and set up Russian factories for Shaheds so it won't make any difference?
I do not think it will make much difference in war production, as of now the Russians are mass producing their own shaheds--they dont need the Iranian supply any more
I doubt Putin is too upset about the Israeli war with Iran. He will gamble that Israel will be unable to effect regime change and so things will return to normal eventually. Whether he has communicated that with Trump is anyone's guess.
In the meantime he gets the following advantages;
1. US and world attention diverted from Ukraine,
2. Trump has an excuse to deny military aid to Ukraine citing the need to supply Israel, and
3. Oil prices will spike, which reduces economic pressure on Russia.
The oil price surge seems like a BFD. I think world attention has become less of an issue. My impression is Ukraine's partners are shocked into seeing UKR has a competent, vital bulwark. The Trump-Putin Non-Aggression Pact has focused minds. It's not like the first years of war where ppl just relied on U.S. to shepherd the conflict into some cozy partition deal. I truly believe the decent nations of the world are seeing Putin's determination and the stakes.
Regardless of Trump's relationship with Putin, and there is definitely collusion between them for reasons that are not yet fully clear, events of the past few months show that, as President of the USA, Trump is no more than an incompetent blusterer and blunderer. His political skills may be stellar, but his intellectual level is about that of the average MAGA voter. He hasn't been able to bring peace to Ukraine and put an end to Russian aggression there, he hasn't been able to "settle" the situation in Gaza and now he has proved one again, with the Israeli attack on Iran, that both Putin and Netanyahu can ignore him with impunity, confident that he understand little of the situations he tweets about and will do nothing to stop them. The truth is that the real world is far too complicated for Trump's limited understanding and oversized ego, Of course, no Head of State and Commander in Chief can be expected to have a full grasp of all the world's problems, but that is precisely why there are usually a posse of highly qualified and discreet advisors on hand who have worked on these issues for decades and can provide all the necessary expertise. But Trump won't listen, won't read briefing papers and wants only loyalists and sycophants around him - and to create great television! He doesn't want experts who will speak truth to power and warn against the wild approximations that pass for policy. Other leaders who will have the misfortune of having to interact with him at the forthcoming summits surely understand all this by now but whether they will do anything about it is another matter.
My sense is that Trump's charade is played out. Even the more credulous analysts are not talking much about the sanctions stalled in the Senate. This just means Trump moves on to more open support of "Vladimir." Rubio's recent valentine to RU was quite something.
Just an off-handed opinion, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a direct threat to Trump to have him as Putin’s right-hand man; all that is needed is for Trump to think Putin might have the goods on him. No need for specifics of fears. His escapades in the 80s and 90s with Russian interests strongly suggest that “what if” Russia knows something about my affairs is all that is required.
Thanks to Phillips and to all of you. Many of us don’t care for having a Putin puppet as a President along with his docile “pet” Republican Party. It’s hard to know what to believe, but there have been reports that the Czechs began taking an interest in Trump when he married Ivana. Unfortunately, much of the MSM is so cowed by Trump that it may take a long time for us to know what actually happened. I still don’t understand why the work of people like Catherine Belton (Putin’s People) is not front and center. Does anyone know about the reactions of Middle East neighbors? The Gulf Arabs are familiar with working behind the scenes.
Netanyahu would be very clever to become a full-throated supporter of Ukraine. RU is no longer a useful partner. Improving relations with Europe ought to be more valuable. Israel did send a Patriot system to UKR recently, perhaps because they are upgrading to newer version?
The fault, dear Phillips, is not in our stars but in our citizens. From your vantage point at St Andrews, the view across the pond is distorted. The R politicians here are savvy to trump's malignant incompetence, they to them democracy is an abstraction, their jobs are a reality -- every R in the House knows that they can't retain their seat without ill duce's nod; all but three in the Senate (Murkowski, Paul, Collins) know the same. Once again in the 'banality of evil' realm.
Ron Filipkowski, Meidas Touch Network reporter, says that "two weeks" is Trump-speak for "never going to happen" because he knows that everyone will have forgotten about what he said after two weeks.
I was one of the few people in my circle who praised Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Now I get my lonely validation seeing stupid trump trying to rebuild the exact agreement he tore up. What a short-sighted loser.
Regarding the middle-east, seems trump has gotten himself in a tricky bind, since part of his maga followers want the US to stay out, but the pro-Israel force want the US in. Curious to see how Teflon-Don will wiggle out of this one.
Aren’t you glad to see how our allies don’t even consult the US anymore before making their decisions? Maga wanted isolation and now the US can’t control things like they used to. Karma really is a b**ch.
I wonder if Trump's admiration of "strength" and Ukraine's actions might make Trump lean a little more toward Ukraine?
)Trump explicitly called Ukraine's Spiderweb drone strike "badass" in private conversations, according to multiple sources cited by Axios and other reports. He also described the attack as "pretty strong" and admired its precision and boldness,
Phillips, let us translate, “Trump wants what Putin wants” into something that Occam’s Razor would tell us: Trump is a Russian Asset. It is as plain and simple as that. Europe needs to understand it. We in the US need to accept it and act accordingly.
The secondary question, and one that does not matter is why and the method of control? Why is it the entire GOP left standing won’t cross Trump? When all other explanations fail, Occam’s Razor tells me they have “kompromat” of some kind on all of them. Trump did this using the National Enquirer for years.
Hi Paul, I hear what you are saying. However I am uncomfortable in saying he is a recruited Russian agent. Its more likely a combination of major financial incentive, possible blackmail opportunities, and the fact that he has identified with Russia after the 2016 campaign. Yet, he is acting in a way similar to a Russian agent of influence...
Phillips, I know you have been uncomfortable with this. But when one looks at record evidence, and ties to the Russian mafia that go back to the late 1980s, his travels to Russia, etc. whether he was recruited in the traditional espionage sense or not, the bottom line is he is a Russian asset. He acts like, talks like it, and is steering the US in that direction as hard as he can. We must treat him and all of his had picked cabinet members as such.
I hope Europe understands this and knows that any intel sharing with the US is liable to end up in Moscow. Damn, even Bibi gets it! They kept the US in the dark about its operation against Iran.
I agree that the key thing is for Europe to understand Trump’s Russian “relationship “.
I don't believe in kompromat for a very simple reason: Trump is incapable of feeling shame. That's his superpower. Unlike your average dissembling politician, Trump does not hesitate to say anything he feels like saying at the moment, regardless of how easy it is to disprove it. And then the next day he may well say something opposite and deny what he said the day before. He just feels no shame or even discomfort. You simply can't blackmail someone like that by threatening to release information that makes him look bad. He just does not care. And what is it that they could possibly have on him that's worse than 34 felony convictions, a coup attempt, being adjudicated a rapist and a fraudster, a bunch of bankruptcies and failed businesses, tons of stupid and/or offensive quotes etc.?
I do not know, of course, but assume there could be a level of kompromat that even Trump supporters might find queasy
Theoretically possible, but I just can't imagine what would cause an average Republican NOT to say yet again, "But the Left is still worse". So much of conservatism nowadays is simply being reflexively against the Left.
sex with minors
It would certainly seem so on the surface that Trump literally cannot be shamed. But there is evidence to the contrary. One example is his failure to release his taxes. It comes out in court that much was falsified, and while he is not “shamed” by it, he knows it hurts him and his brand. Another example is the Stormy Daniels saga. Why pay to have it hushed up? Clearly it is something he knows hurts him. So while he may have no shame, he is at least smart enough to understand the release of certain information can damage him in other ways.
Exactly what I was about to write. Stormy Daniels thing shows that he does not want certain things to show up. And if the material is something sexual that would make him seem unmanly as is rumored I think that he especially would not like that to come out. On top of which, for something like that Putin would likely have videos and videos being shared everywhere online would play out much differently than just rumors.
He paid Stormy before his first election when he did not yet know his full power. At that time he even apologized for "Access Hollywood" tape. Now he would instead brag about both - and see his popularity rise.
Yes, he's secretive about his finances because he protects his fake brand. But I don't think Russia has complete information with incontrovertible proof. I mean, if Trump asserts that Mar-a-Lago is worth certain amount, how can Putin prove it's worth 10 times less?!
In 2022 he was still claiming to not have had sex with Stormy Daniels and I don't see any indication that he ever admitted it: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/22/porn-star-stormy-daniels-loses-appeal-of-trump-case.html
Relevant part:
"Trump on Monday called the 9th Circuit’s ruling for him “a total and complete victory and vindication for, and of me,” and reiterated his claim not to have had sex with Daniels."
I agree that his followers don't care about him having sex with her, but it seems like he still does.
My thoughts as well.
What could be worse? Video, him fornicating with pre-teen girls. I have no data on whether or not this is true, but I believe that would cross enough lines.
A lot of his incel supporters will just envy him and support him even more.
Evidence of two election interferences?
Republicans have already dismissed it as "Russia hoax".
To apply your "golden rule" to the next Nato summit in the Hague: What does Putin expect Trump to do?
Be annoyed with Europeans and announce the withdrawal of us troops/ step out of Nato all together? Or play along the Nato secgen Rutte line?
Even worse…play along outwardly and sabotage NATO from within which is what Putin really wants. If Trump flat pulled the US out of NATO (btw, he cannot as it would require action in the Senate where he does not have enough votes) it would cause Europe to immediately do what Putin does not want them to do…rearm and prepare.
Well, Trump demands a 5% raise in defens budgets, which he gets probably. And there will be discussion on the Iran policy of Netanyahu. The Europeans are increasingly sceptic about his war policy, that may be a point of controvercy with Trump, if he keeps on backing Netanyahu.
It diverts the debate away from Ukraine, what Putin might like. It creates a feeling of western disagreement or political chaos. That is what Putin is probably after.
It is then to the Europeans to stick together and speed up the rearmement
You are so correct on how the NATO meetings may play out. But the way Trump acts it is as if other NATO members have no agency. That is far from the case. Macron visiting Greenland is but a small example. 5% is a thinking that money will come to US arms manufacturers, but Europe is already now charting their own course and that is not what Trump wants at all…US has no veto power over use of homegrown European systems! Putin is already not liking that seeing Ukraine develop with EU help homegrown systems and Merz basically releasing Ukraine to use European systems as they see fit.
>However I am uncomfortable in saying he is a recruited Russian agent.
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
I understand you are rightfully uncomfortable in saying: "he is a recruited Russian agent"; but the golden rule is saying : "he looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck."
I think it is pretty clear Russia has power over Trump.
It is also clear Russia has to much power over Trump.
The main question is: How much power does Russia have over Trump and many other important players in the USA and Europe.
Which reminds me of the Israeli operations in Iran.
I agree, Jantje, plus Paul didn’t say "agent". He said 'asset" which fits with blackmail/kompromat
Well, Trump is a recruited Russian asset. We have direct testimony from Alnur Mussayev, who would know. And then we have corroborating evidence from other sources. At this point, the burden of proof is on anyone trying to claim that Trump *isn't* a recruited Russian asset.
Do you thino the Iran-Israel conflict likely to affect Iranian supply of defence materiel to Russia? Or have the Iranians done the tech transfer and set up Russian factories for Shaheds so it won't make any difference?
I do not think it will make much difference in war production, as of now the Russians are mass producing their own shaheds--they dont need the Iranian supply any more
I doubt Putin is too upset about the Israeli war with Iran. He will gamble that Israel will be unable to effect regime change and so things will return to normal eventually. Whether he has communicated that with Trump is anyone's guess.
In the meantime he gets the following advantages;
1. US and world attention diverted from Ukraine,
2. Trump has an excuse to deny military aid to Ukraine citing the need to supply Israel, and
3. Oil prices will spike, which reduces economic pressure on Russia.
The oil price surge seems like a BFD. I think world attention has become less of an issue. My impression is Ukraine's partners are shocked into seeing UKR has a competent, vital bulwark. The Trump-Putin Non-Aggression Pact has focused minds. It's not like the first years of war where ppl just relied on U.S. to shepherd the conflict into some cozy partition deal. I truly believe the decent nations of the world are seeing Putin's determination and the stakes.
Regardless of Trump's relationship with Putin, and there is definitely collusion between them for reasons that are not yet fully clear, events of the past few months show that, as President of the USA, Trump is no more than an incompetent blusterer and blunderer. His political skills may be stellar, but his intellectual level is about that of the average MAGA voter. He hasn't been able to bring peace to Ukraine and put an end to Russian aggression there, he hasn't been able to "settle" the situation in Gaza and now he has proved one again, with the Israeli attack on Iran, that both Putin and Netanyahu can ignore him with impunity, confident that he understand little of the situations he tweets about and will do nothing to stop them. The truth is that the real world is far too complicated for Trump's limited understanding and oversized ego, Of course, no Head of State and Commander in Chief can be expected to have a full grasp of all the world's problems, but that is precisely why there are usually a posse of highly qualified and discreet advisors on hand who have worked on these issues for decades and can provide all the necessary expertise. But Trump won't listen, won't read briefing papers and wants only loyalists and sycophants around him - and to create great television! He doesn't want experts who will speak truth to power and warn against the wild approximations that pass for policy. Other leaders who will have the misfortune of having to interact with him at the forthcoming summits surely understand all this by now but whether they will do anything about it is another matter.
My sense is that Trump's charade is played out. Even the more credulous analysts are not talking much about the sanctions stalled in the Senate. This just means Trump moves on to more open support of "Vladimir." Rubio's recent valentine to RU was quite something.
Just an off-handed opinion, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a direct threat to Trump to have him as Putin’s right-hand man; all that is needed is for Trump to think Putin might have the goods on him. No need for specifics of fears. His escapades in the 80s and 90s with Russian interests strongly suggest that “what if” Russia knows something about my affairs is all that is required.
Thanks to Phillips and to all of you. Many of us don’t care for having a Putin puppet as a President along with his docile “pet” Republican Party. It’s hard to know what to believe, but there have been reports that the Czechs began taking an interest in Trump when he married Ivana. Unfortunately, much of the MSM is so cowed by Trump that it may take a long time for us to know what actually happened. I still don’t understand why the work of people like Catherine Belton (Putin’s People) is not front and center. Does anyone know about the reactions of Middle East neighbors? The Gulf Arabs are familiar with working behind the scenes.
Clear-eyed as always, thank you!Could Ukraine find the most unlikely ally of convenience in Israel (at least for the time being)?
Netanyahu would be very clever to become a full-throated supporter of Ukraine. RU is no longer a useful partner. Improving relations with Europe ought to be more valuable. Israel did send a Patriot system to UKR recently, perhaps because they are upgrading to newer version?
The fault, dear Phillips, is not in our stars but in our citizens. From your vantage point at St Andrews, the view across the pond is distorted. The R politicians here are savvy to trump's malignant incompetence, they to them democracy is an abstraction, their jobs are a reality -- every R in the House knows that they can't retain their seat without ill duce's nod; all but three in the Senate (Murkowski, Paul, Collins) know the same. Once again in the 'banality of evil' realm.
Ron Filipkowski, Meidas Touch Network reporter, says that "two weeks" is Trump-speak for "never going to happen" because he knows that everyone will have forgotten about what he said after two weeks.
I was one of the few people in my circle who praised Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Now I get my lonely validation seeing stupid trump trying to rebuild the exact agreement he tore up. What a short-sighted loser.
Regarding the middle-east, seems trump has gotten himself in a tricky bind, since part of his maga followers want the US to stay out, but the pro-Israel force want the US in. Curious to see how Teflon-Don will wiggle out of this one.
Aren’t you glad to see how our allies don’t even consult the US anymore before making their decisions? Maga wanted isolation and now the US can’t control things like they used to. Karma really is a b**ch.
Got a question about the Middle East. Which country is more likely to become hegemon there, Israel or Iran? What about Turkey?
Well, cold comfort but rising oil prices will stoke inflation. Economic pain will further erode support for Trump.
Well, there’s always TACO, of course, but I suggest TETCHY might be more apt:
Trump’s Empty Threats Create Huge Yawns
I wonder if Trump's admiration of "strength" and Ukraine's actions might make Trump lean a little more toward Ukraine?
)Trump explicitly called Ukraine's Spiderweb drone strike "badass" in private conversations, according to multiple sources cited by Axios and other reports. He also described the attack as "pretty strong" and admired its precision and boldness,