43 Comments
User's avatar
Pat A.'s avatar

I understand Mexico wants back its historical territory. So in exchange for Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern Califorinia they will stop immigration into the remainder of the US. Sounds good, doesn't it. Trump should make a deal. Maybe Mexico will give him a prize for his genius peacemaking.

Expand full comment
Health & Politics and KS's avatar

Trump was always going to side with his fellow oligarch, whether or not he's a Russian Asset. The question is, what was the meeting really about?

Expand full comment
Patrick Daniels aka Cromulent1's avatar

It was a feel good meeting for Moscow, Trump, Makinig Moscow Great Again, while meeting on former Soviet owned land Putin has promised his people he will return to Russia! For Trump, who didn’t arrange this meeting, it provided another opportunity lost, to his growing record of failures, yet an Epstein distraction!

Expand full comment
Lisa Snow's avatar

It took Epstein out of the headlines completely -- something he could not do for weeks.

That was Trump's win.

Expand full comment
Patrick Daniels aka Cromulent1's avatar

Exactly Lisa!

Expand full comment
California Jonathan's avatar

Thank you for articulating the clear failure of Trump’s Alaska disaster. When you break it all down to the salient facts it’s hard not to conclude that Trump once again got PLAYED by Putin. What a horrible joke on the world 🌍 ‼️

Expand full comment
Jane Prescott's avatar

Exactly. Put yesterday in the context of the critical rhetoric Trump had in the last couple months. Yesterday was Putin putting Trump back in line.

Expand full comment
Ellasmama's avatar

The outcome was always going to be the same. It was all a show. Distraction from Epstein. All he’s done is buy more and more time for his boss, P, to do more damage to Ukraine. And that was the goal all along.

I am sure the Europeans are smart enough to see that.

And giving an inch to a murdering war criminal thug only encourages him. Just like Chamberlain found out, there’s never an end to the demands of a tyrant.

Expand full comment
Linda Dwyer's avatar

There are comments about Lavrov wearing a CCCP sweatshirt to Anchorage, sending a signal of Russian intent and its domination over Trump. There are also assertions Putin employs Brezhnev’s European strategy. Your analysis? Obviously Europe can’t trust Trump or his top advisers in this moment. How does that factor affect Russia and European choices?

Expand full comment
Michael D. Sellers's avatar

Lavrov definitely showed up in a CCCP t-shirt.

Expand full comment
Linda's avatar

Now I wonder what was discussed and/or passed between them in that beast ride together. What a golden opportunity to share what should not be shared.

Expand full comment
Conor Gallogly's avatar

While I agree with your assessment of the current situation, that Trump is now working with Putin and pressuring Ukraine on Putin’s behalf, I don’t think any of Trump’s threats about sanctions or any hints of pressuring Russia were ever credible. Those threats were intended to sabotage Senate attempts to pass a sanctions bill and defuse media questions of what Trump would do about Putin’s targeting of civilians and other war crimes. And possibly to create leverage to get something for himself, his family, and his friends.

We’re still in the same place we were when Trump pressured Johnson to delay Ukraine aid 18 months ago. Trump is doing as much for Russia as he can given the resistance from Democrats, Republican Senators, and the public.

Expand full comment
Michael D. Sellers's avatar

I think that's a fair assessment, especially in light of how Trump handled the summit.

Expand full comment
SPI Maker's avatar

This has been Tr*^p’s plan since well before day one. It is just now becoming imminently clear.

Expand full comment
MARY's avatar

He’s siding with Russia, explain to me how this isn’t treason.

Expand full comment
Jim T's avatar

Not of us may live long enough to know the truth about Trump and Putin. It will be fascinating history when it is revealed. I suspect the title will be "The End of the American Empire. " it is ironic that MAGA will destroy America as a world power.

Expand full comment
Jacqueline Powell's avatar

Sorry, but I think with Putins' last move they know they have succeeded something they had been trying to do since the cold war.

Expand full comment
Robert Gillette's avatar

Precisely, thank you.

Trump wilted in the presence of power. Mary Trump, his psychologist niece, could probably explain why. Perhaps she’d say, What did you expect? Donald spent his childhood and early adulthood navigating, and playing up to, the domineering power of his father. Putin probably treats him like a favored Pavlovian (there’s irony for you)son.

Expand full comment
Robert Jaffee's avatar

Michael, great breakdown and analysis. That said, Trump was always out of his league, and this was always going to be an exercise in futility, since he’s an ignoramus who has fired all of the Russia experts at the State Department and NSC.

Seriously, were you really expecting a different result, or just hoping his “one sided” love fest with Putin would work out?

Instead, he sent the “pee-wee” league; Witkoff, who may or may not be a Russian stooge. And let’s face it, you can’t negotiate a peace deal when one party is being sidelined, and not invited to the negotiations.

Bottom line: this is “bush-league” politics, end of story!

Furthermore, this summit was designed to fail because Trump doesn’t know how to negotiate a deal. Any other president would have sent negotiators in advance; making sure most of the critical points were worked out; well before this spectacle even took place so the president wouldn’t walk away embarrassed.

However, Trump believes his charisma and friendship alone can move mountains. How’d that work out with N. Korea? Love letters galore, and in the end, N.Korea continued to test nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Why? Because Trump only cares about the headline. The same with Iran. Now that he’s declared Iran’s nuclear program annihilated, Iran is free to build nukes because Trump can never be wrong, and taking a tough stance means admitting his bombing campaign was a failure.

And while Trump will threaten or enact sanctions and tariffs on any country that dares to criticize him, he only has fawning praise for the narcissistic sociopath who has no regard for civilian life. We need to ask ourselves why? IMHO…:)

Expand full comment
Leigh Blake's avatar

The fly on the wall...where was it??? So... we all wondered what was REALLY discussed...certainly NOTHING good came out of it..What a waste of time and energy. We can only guess what Putin's smug smile meant...not to mention the vague and uneasy facial stare with that distant look on the felon's puss...No power there, just whimping, " when is this over?" look. Never trust either of them to do what's decent for the Ukrainians... Just more of the same...

Expand full comment
Michael's avatar

What did Trump say at the press conference on "Russia Russia" that it was all nonsense produced by the opposition that even some republicans fall for, or words to that effect, and yet what more proof do we need to conclude he's a Russian asset? And if he isn't, he certainly behaves like one! In fact, like no other Soviet leader could ever have hoped for.

Expand full comment
Sari Mabbett's avatar

Again, I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your comments and analyses. Senator Wyden pointed out that there are financial transactions, roughly 4500 within the Epstein documents, that travel through Russia, with his suggestion that ‘we’ should simply follow the money. What if the source of those transactions could be compromised and exposed by Russia if the desired concessions are not met? It’s such a messy quagmire 😵‍💫🙃

Expand full comment
debra's avatar

It's just another fake contest to see which is the better liar, backtracker, "I never said that," and "Now I'm really angry" charade. If Putin didn't remind Donald in the limo that he has compromising info on him, all I can say is the Donald must have had a mini-stroke cuz he looked like shit after the meeting as he approached the podium to let Putin speak (first).

Expand full comment