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Why I Believe Trump is Compromised by Russia
Whenever the topic of Trump’s behavior towards Russia and Putin comes up, I find myself at a loss to remember all the various outcomes that he’s brought about that helped Russia. So as per usual, here’s a list of those outcomes that I’ll keep up to date.
Did this Trump policy, action, or outcome help Putin’s long-term goal of diminishing the United States’ position in the world?
Forget about Trump for a moment. Just ask yourself if the policies above help Putin. I think the answer is pretty clearly, “Yes”.
And let me clarify—I don’t think Trump has sold out the country in any conscious sense. I honestly believe that if Putin were to offer him two billion in cash to become a Russian spy, Trump would absolutely refuse out of patriotism.
But that’s not how real tradecraft works.
If I’m right about the approach being used, Putin’s brilliance lies in convincing Trump that the things he’s doing are actually good for America, when in fact they’re causing major long-term damage.
Whisper, whisper: “Germany and Canada are weak and take advantage of you, so you should distance yourself from them…”
If Putin were to say, “Sell out America and become rich and famous!”, he might get punched in the mouth. But if he says, “America will think you’re a strong leader if you institute Martial Law and shut down the fake-news press…” Well, that is likely to work.
When you have someone as self-focused as Trump, the move is to use his need to be loved against him. Judo, not Karate.
And I think that’s precisely what we see in the outcomes that Trump has produced. However he got there, he’s created a situation where the US is far worse off in the eyes of the world than before.
We’re not looked up to the way we used to be. We’re more feared than respected. We’re laughed at. And this is precisely what I predicted Putin wanted from a Trump presidency back in 2016.
Obama has successfully made Putin look like a dangerous, would-be tyrant. His activities in Ukraine, his constant aggressive behavior, the military fly-bys—it’s left him ostracized and looking like a dangerous child in a world of adults.
Clinton would further this policy, if not make it worse for Putin, which he cannot have.
With Trump, however, Putin could turn things completely around. Trump would be so crazy, so random, and so obviously dangerous, that Putin could transform overnight from tyrant to hero and savior.
This is what I’m trying to do with the list above—to show how this might be happening right in front of us, unbeknownst to most, including Trump.
It could be that Putin is not directly extorting or applying leverage to Trump at all. It could simply be perfect KGB chess where he’s expertly manipulating the outcomes. Again, I don’t see Trump responding well to outright force. His weakness is flattery and greed.
For my pro-Trump and pro-American readers, all I ask of you is to consider what has actually come from his presidency—at a global power level, not domestically—and to please consider that we are now diminished compared to where we were with Clinton, the Bushes, or Obama.
Our friends are horribly angry with us. We’re considered unstable. We completely fumbled the COVID situation. And the world is generally afraid of the US. Fear, not respect.
We’re increasingly seen not as an example, but as a bully. And that’s the exact opening that a hostile dictator (Putin) needs to be able to re-assert themselves globally.
The outcome of Trump’s presidency will be the world having less respect for the United States, and that—more than anything—is exactly what Putin wanted.
Remember, Obama was a nightmare for Putin. He hated him. He disrespected him. And he shut him down significantly. And Clinton would have been three times worse given their mutual hatred for each other.
Trump on the other hand is easily manipulated through praise and financial opportunities, and looking at the list above it appears that manipulation has worked.
Even if Trump loses in November, Putin will have executed the most devastating attack on America ever—an attack carried out by Trump on America’s most precious asset.
Its reputation.
Notes
I’m also open to opposing evidence in the interest of being fair. For those who disagree with this narrative, please provide some examples like those above that harmed Putin. I honestly want a complete list here to see if the narrative holds.
Aug 21, 2020 — So I read John Bolton’s book, The Room Where it Happened, and I now see less organized maliciousness from Trump on this. It’s not that I don’t see him as dangerous anymore, but rather that the book makes it very clear that he’s hostile to Russia behind closed doors (because he doesn’t like to lose to anyone), and that his being nice to Putin in public is all about wanting to be liked by people he respects. In other words, he believes he can win all diplomacy by just having good relationships with his enemies, and actually making it so that they’re not enemies. He’s just ignorant about that. Very ignorant. But if we can trust the book, which seems fairly believable in my opinion, it’s not that he’s trying to let Russia get an advantage over the US. He wants the US to win. The problem is that he thinks being nice to completely cynical totalitarian leaders is a path to that, which opens him to manipulation that will harm the country. And that already has. But I wanted to make a clear statement that I appear to be mistaken about Trump being willing influenced or pushed into hurting the US. He’s just being tricked due to ignorance caused by ego.