Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: A weak Donald Trump tries to deal with the world
Dan Pfeiffer/”The Message Box” on Substack:
The Real Reason Trump Bows Down to Putin
Trump’s comments about NATO and his silence on Navalny have made his relationship with Russia a major issue (again)
Speculating about Trump’s friendship with Putin has been a cottage industry since his 2016 win. Were Trump and Putin in cahoots to defeat Hillary Clinton? Is Trump a Russian sleeper agent? Is this all a play to get a Trump Tower Moscow built? Or, my personal favorite theory, Trump is just worried that Putin will one day release the infamous “pee tape.”
All of these may have elements of truth (especially the “pee tape”), however, I think the correct answer is much simpler. Trump bows down to Putin for the same reasons he bows down to other dictators: he is a weak man. A coward who is scared of confrontation. He would rather preemptively surrender to protect himself than fight to protect others.
He’s the exact opposite of Navalny.