(Todd A. Smith)
Many nicknames often refer to the President of the United States (POTUS).
Commander-in-Chief.
The leader of the free world.
Etc.
Etc.
But after President Donald Trump’s groveling press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he should no longer view himself as the most powerful man on the planet.
That title belongs to Putin because he has become a master at getting President Trump to kiss his behind and give him credibility as he wreaks havoc on the European continent, which is reminiscent of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler.
On Aug. 15, Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss a potential ceasefire and land agreement in Putin’s war against the neighboring country, Ukraine.
Unprovoked, Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Although Ukraine has fought valiantly, Putin has still annexed many areas of the country.
Former President Joe Biden aided Ukraine’s defense effort by sending weapons that helped Ukraine fight off Russia for much of the war.
But Trump has often struck a different tone in the war, seemingly siding with Russia and Putin’s desire to take over the former Soviet Union country.
As a result, Friday’s press conference was equal parts “history” lesson from Putin and equal parts behind kissing from Trump, with no deal secured.
In part, the press conference was a television show with the press not asking questions.
Instead, the press conference allowed Trump to try to change the media coverage of his second presidency from the Jeffrey Epstein files and inflation to something else.
Unfortunately, the press conference did not show Trump as the powerful leader he aims to be.
The presser made Trump look like Putin’s childlike puppet.
Steve Holland and Andrew Osborn of Reuters reported, “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should agree to a deal to end the war with Russia because ‘Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,’ after holding a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire.
“In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that the best way to end the war was to go straight to a peace settlement—not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with U.S. support, have been demanding.”
Two key takeaways from the report are that if smaller countries just give in to big and more powerful countries because of the size difference, what is to stop all smaller countries from getting annexed?
Secondly, America once demanded a ceasefire in Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Strong leaders and powerful nations do not back down from demands.
Trump has no problem demanding American people and institutions do things his way.
But Trump is scared to demand peace from Putin and Russia.
If that is true, which it obviously is, Trump and his supporters can no longer pretend that he is strong.
He is weak, feeble, and easily manipulated, which are characteristics America cannot afford to have in a president.
In 1987, former President Ronald Reagan demanded that former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev “tear down this wall” in reference to the Berlin Wall, which had separated East and West Berlin, Germany, since 1961.
Many point to that speech on June 12, 1987, as a symbol of the end of the Cold War.
President Reagan did not ask Gorbachev to please tear down the Berlin Wall.
He simply told him to do it.
And the wall no longer exists.
Past presidents were firm with other leaders.
They did not roll out the red carpet for brutal dictators on American soil.
They did not smile as a dictator received credibility from a gullible goon in the White House.
They held dictators accountable.
They stood for right and against wrong.
They stood by our allies, no matter how powerful their adversary was.
America’s strength was the reason other countries looked to us for help against the evil empires of the world.
Now, Trump is using his so-called strength to grab power domestically, while proudly flaunting his weakness on the international stage.
Imagine where the world would be if former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and former United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill had bowed down to Hitler.
What would Europe look like if those leaders had looked at Hitler as a friend and told Hitler’s enemies that they should just acquiesce because Nazi Germany was more powerful than they were?
How many more people would have died at the hands of that demonic Nazi dictator?
America has often seen itself as a beacon on the hill.
But because of Trump, America is descending into an alley of darkness and depravity.
And at the same time, Trump’s groveling only makes Russia more powerful and the rest of the world more vulnerable.
Vinay Dwivedi of CNBC reported, “Russia media outlets were upbeat Friday ahead of Putin’s meeting with Trump, with the summit being seen as a win for Moscow. Commentary across Russian state news sites characterized the talks as a positive for Russia. The mood in Ukraine was somber amid apprehensions of the country losing some of its territory as part of a Trump-brokered deal.”
Likewise, America should also be apprehensive about losing some of its power, influence and might in the Trump-brokered behind-kissing bonanza of a press conference.
Instead of making America great again, Trump is doing that for Mother Russia.
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