Couple of things worth adding: the Russian money was both very significant and very timely. Best example is Trump's 2008 sale of Maison de l'Amitie in Palm Beach -- at the height of the last recession, and at a time when property values in south Florida were tanking -- for $95 million to a Russian oligarch who never occupied the place (Trump had purchased the place in 2004 for $41 million). As far as Deutsche Bank goes, Trump was in a lawsuit with DB's real estate group (over the mess at his Chicago property) when DB's wealth management team took him on board as a customer. There's an awful lot of smoke over just those items. There's plenty more.
Hi Bill. I want to advise you that while appraising a Bel Air estate in LA in September/October 2008 I looked at all my comparable data. I had everything huge and gold-plated with luxury in more than toilets! I had Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Adjacent, San Francisco, Carmel, Newport Beach, La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. They looked like Circuit City big-box retail and I realized I was appraising a nearly 50k square foot that looked like a Ritz Carlton and every imported material from all over the world - it is a Palace. I googled "most expensive Single-family sale in the USA ". The story of the purchase you referenced above on 2006 and it was on 10 acres, a new 30k sf modern home, not on the water. He did no improvements, didn't live there but sold it to a Russian fertilizer magnate for $94 million in 2008. I would never compare the swamp in Florida to a California Bel Air location, but these high-end spec homes are good for laundering money. Drug money and other ill-gotten gains support lawless criminals because there are laws against specific crimes.
I was blabbering this while campaigning for Hillary. Rachel Maddow finally talked about this 7 years after I was blabbering it on Facebook. I had tons of fake profiles I thought were Trump supporters who argued, but after turning them in to FB they said it was OK according to their community standards.
So with 2 of us talking about his many crimes on the same day, it is already too late to do anything against his Russia, Russia, Russia.
I will demand attention to how he views Gaza as "a demo site" for him to build anew Mediterranean resort but Bebe must get those Palestinians out first. Demolition is what he does! Our Congress has been tamed and complacent in his efforts to reward or punish. He is a patriarchal form of white trash and he couldn't manage a mobile home park.
He likes Putin because he is white. He likes Elon because he can ruin him and have him take up new arguments for Apartheid. Judges should be impeached, and law firms must be kept out of court if they ever argued or adjudicated against this insecure little weeny. Put him in prison! We have so much evidence! WTF?
How do we do What, when, where, and why? Because we can make this a more perfect union. Before they kill more innocent people! Rebuild Gaza.
Funny how real estate has always been such an easy business through which to launder money (and laundering money for the Russians has, I think, been the main focus of Trump's business for quite a while; he was a terrible operator and nothing close to an actual developer, let alone builder). I agree that what happens to Gaza and how will be a real key to seeing just how sick this world has become.
I also know that after appraising for 45 years, 34 with the MAI, I know more about real estate than he does! He is ignorant and has to steal from others to profit, but he has good cash customers. When they are theu with him, he will be killed. That is the only solution.
The key fact in Sellers’ analysis, that I, as another retired CIA officer, fully support is the nuanced and comprehensive manner with which the KGB/FSB analyze and utilize whatever they have in hand. In this case they got lucky and were able to graduate an access agent or agent of influence into a first class intelligence reporting source.
yes, they got lucky. thanks for the affirmation about KGB sophistication in these matters. they had a term for it --"canned goods" -- not a "sleeper' but somthing you put on the shelf and see what happens .......
I was really glad to see your comment below that you’re planning to examine more closely Trump’s mind. That was in the context of his fascination with strongmen or autocrats. I’ve long thought that we need more psychological analysis him. Political, economic or military decisions, in fact, are entirely dictated by his psychological complexity and derangement. (In my career I was always particularly intrigued by the need for careful assessment in the recruitment process.). Trump clearly is deranged, as we see both in his domestic and international moves. The task is to determine how and when. What are the triggers and what are the consequences of those triggers? We see evidence all the time, today for example his reaction to the 60 Minutes article yesterday about George Clooney, and the easy resultant observation that he can’t stand having somebody honored who has been critical of him. Just as he gravitates toward people (Putin) who have been complimentary. That’s a first step, but we need much more dissection and analysis. I’m glad to read you’ll be tackling that task.
Until the Russians managed to get him into the White House in 2016, I think Trump was just an easily-manipulated asset, not formally recruited. All he wanted was money and prestige, and for Putin to be "impressed with him" and "respect" him. So Putin played the game. Once he was in office, everything changed and "got real". I'm sure Putin was surprised at the fact that they actually pulled it off, and Trump thought he actually won it "fair and square"! Now Pootie would REALLY be impressed with him!
I think the press conference in Helsinki was the day that Putin finally lowered the boom on him and let him know what the REAL situation was....that Putin was going to be telling him what to do and when and how to do it, or he would release a TON of "kompromat" on Trump regarding the money laundering and all the other history, which could end his presidency or at least "make him look bad" to his adoring fans. Watch the video tape. That's why Trump looked like a deer in the headlights when he came out of that room (a meeting where the stenographer and other witnesses were not allowed to hear what was said), and Putin had a sh*t-grin on his face. I said right then and there, "Something happened in there that is not good." And it wasn't. Trump went on to insist that he believed Putin, and NOT U.S. Intelligence Services, and the deal was set. Trump found out Putin was NOT all that impressed with him, and had been using him all along. But now he couldn't let anyone know it, so he still goes through the motions of telling people what a great relationship he has with Putin.
And now, Putin and Musk have teamed up to rig the election system to get him back into power again, to keep him out of prison (and an active asset with the ability to give them massive amounts of secret information)....with the warning that if Trump didn't do what Putin wanted, Putin had even MORE dirt on him than the last 4 years, which would send him to prison anyway! That's why Trump again let's Musk boss him around and make him look foolish, like the Oval Office presser, where even Musk's 4 yr old bullied him and got away with it. And of course, he and Vance had to bully Zelenskyy to prove their loyalty to Putin.
Putin definitely knew, and still knows, how to manipulate him. No need for a formal "recruitment". Trump walked right into it, and has been seriously compromised for a very long time.
That's a really compelling take on it,and i agree the Helsinki meeting was pivotal in some way. i'm going to be taking another look at Trump's first term....i appreciate the way you've laid it out here.
I had the same impression about Trump when I saw his facial expression and body language when he emerged after he met with Putin. He slumped his shoulders and he had a faraway dejected look as if he was contemplating a difficult situation. I was also struck by the fact that a newby president would meet with Putin without advisors in the room. Has that ever happened before? I don't recall any President meeting independently without staff in the room. At the very least they would have transscribers in the room.
I agree—the one-on-one meeting in Helsinki was a key turning point. At the time, I could not believe that any sane adult—even a political novice like Trump—would do something so stupid. Now that Trump’s second term is underway, the chickens appear to be coming home to roost.
Perhaps the definitive answer to Trump’s relationship w/Putin will emerge over the course of his presidency. He is a “useful idiot” at the very least, which is terrifying.
I’ve heard him described as transactional which means he’s always looking for ‘what’s in it for him’, not the American people, but him. I’ve also heard him described as narcissistic & given his sense of grandiosity & habitual lying, I would say a malignant narcissist.
Thank you for your deeper look into the matter and your analysis. I appreciate how you broke down the steps in the KGB process. I, for one really thought he had to be a Russian asset because to me he certainly acts like one. DJT certainly has turned things upside down. I’m glad that you are keeping open to additional information.
If DJT is not a Russian asset, then who is pulling the strings? It’s just so hard to fathom this 180 degree turn in US foreign policy and this love affair with Putin. It’s so obvious that Russia cannot be trusted and has no intention of stopping the war on the Ukrainians.
It’s also strange to me that he seems to have a penchant for foreign wives who were from the former Soviet Union blocks (former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia) and who lived under communist regimes.
He is such a dangerous and mercurial president. Obviously, he wants to put our resources towards a war with China and has all but abandoned Ukraine and our NATO allies.
Russia isn’t the strong superpower that it once was and its economy is not that large in comparison with China. It will be interesting to watch the relationship develop between Russia and China because combined they could be pretty formidable foes against the US.
And, yes, now that he does have state secrets to sell it’s all very scary and could end up very badly for “we the people.”
I’m not sure what the bigger game is and who is controlling whom at this point. DJT does seem to be the conduit/puppet for many interests (Russia, oligarchs, ultra right wing white Christians/Project 2025, and techno fascists). We are definitely in turbulent times.
it's natural to think someone must be pulling the strings when his behavior seems unexplainable otherwise. But there is a certain consistency in the way he admires 'strongman' leaders and seems drawn to the countries that operate that way,viewing them as sort of 'strong like me' and viewing demcracies as weak and 'not like me'. i'm trying to understand what is really going on his mind. I have a long way to go and it's an ugly journey.
Yes, I agree that DJT is difficult to understand and I can relate to the journey being an ugly one.
That’s why I follow his niece, Mary Trump because she has known Donald since her childhood and has a PhD in clinical psychology.
I have never been so upset by what is happening in our government and I really feel for all of my fellow citizens who are witnessing the dismantling of a stable government for 250 years.
I’m 71 and applied for Social Security in January and my first check arrived in February and I received my March payment. However, with the cuts in staff and Musk’s men messing around with our data it makes me nervous.
I am afraid. Our rights are being taken away. If permanent residents can be swept off the streets by masked men for demonstrating, who will they come for next. Seriously, the ICE police are no better than the SS Gestapo in my opinion.
I agree and add that his supporters are impressed with his fake news and are fueled by the survivalist groups who deal in weapons and look forward to more lawlwssness!
The funny thing is that it’s one thing to support DJT, but his MAGA supporters did not vote for Elon Musk. When they stop getting their farm subsidies, have no one to work on the farms, and stop receiving their federal benefits maybe they will vote out the Republicans causing us so much pain.
Hi Keith ...nice to hear from you. i went through th Farm in 1980, then on to SE division....Addis Ababa 81-83 then Moscow 84-86. If my name rings a bell it is probably from when i got png'd from moscow in march of 86, courtesy of rick ames. it was in the news for a minute at the time. anyway,, thanks for touching base -- please weigh in here anytime. Much appreciated.
I’m going with #3. I’ve watched him for over 4 decades…I heard him interviewed while living in NYC that he “would do anything to win…anything! You are either a winner or a loser, and I am a winner.” With that, I have always taken his word that he will do anything to win.
I’ve watched Roy Cohn in action. He mentored DT to always fight and never ever stop no matter what until you win…so I have always looked at DT as Roy Cohn’s Frankenstein or Roy Cohn malevolent protege.
With that, my guess is that R determined he was too much of a loose canon and would get more out of him if they played the long game.
Everything being done by DT has played to Putin’s advantage getting absolutely zilch from Putin. Master negotiator that he is. Everything, in my opinion, Putin does is a demonstration of how DT is under his thumb.
DT needed money, and money bad and all of the sudden these luxury Trump branded residences were being gobbled up by R oligarchs and crew for cash using LLCs.
I will stop ranting now. Apologies. It felt good to get it out. Peace.
Can we hear from you on Musk, Gabbard and Hegseth as well please? And what about Jake Sullivan?
About Musk - interesting thing happened to me when I had a Twitter account.
About a year maybe two years ago, I was astonished reading Musk's tweets, basically repeating routinely russian propaganda. I mean kremlin's lines word in word, like “Brezhnev mistake” on Crimea for example.
I was shocked then. So, I posted, entertaining the possibility that Musk might be a long established russian sleeper. His route would match - South Africa, Canada then the US (one of the most popular way for the sleepers to enter the US with a solid background story). And his bold pro russian terrorist state's stand strongly alligned him with the kremlin, not to mention the business deals with russian oligarchs.
Then to this tweet of mine his sister responded. Don't remember now what she has written then but I found it bizzare that a person like herself took interest in a random Twitter account.
Since at least 2022 Musk has had regular phone conversations with Putin. I’ve figured that’s why he so often repeats Kremlin propaganda, he just sponges up whatever Putin says without having any base of historical knowledge to sort the truth from Putin’s delusions and lies. It’s an interesting angle about him being a potential sleeper agent but we do know a good deal about Musk’s Nazi grandpa and his dad doesn’t really fit the profile of a Soviet sleeper agent.
More likely I suspect is that Putin has simply manipulated Musk into sharing his worldview. He’s quite ignorant about history and politics, I’ve even read that during last summer’s campaign it had to be explained to him that the US legislature is comprised of two bodies; he didn’t know that the house and senate weren’t the same.
We'll pointed. Thank you. It's probably also worth to notice, Musk mixed up with russian oligarchs when he was buying cheap russian aluminium for his Tesla cars. And before at PayPal, well, Peter Thiel was there.
I wonder when Musk turned? Was he already an agent when he entered the US? Was he influenced by Thiel? Or russian oligarchs? Or putin himself? It would be interesting to find out.
He disabled Starlink at the crucial moment of Ukraine's naval drones offensive, saving a big chunk of russian terrorist state's Black Sea Fleet. russian terrorists are using Starlink themselves now. He never blocked them. There are some reports from Ukraine that turning on Starlink terminal on the front lines gives you now a rain of russian precision strikes.
Thanks for this excellent and insightful summary. Your assessment feels spot-on.
Trump has single-handedly reshaped GOP sentiment toward Russia, shifting the party from decades of antagonistic positions to one that’s remarkably friendly and cooperative. It’s astonishing how effectively he has overturned longstanding Russia-critical views within the GOP. But it’s also worth noting that Trump himself has consistently maintained a pro-Russia stance dating back to at least 1987. Observing from afar, it often feels as though Trump’s presidencies have primarily served Russian interests.
The big question is: what’s fueling this influence? Deutsche Bank loans and other financial ties? Kompromat? Quite possibly, all of the above.
The challenge in proving definitive wrongdoing lies in the gray areas. Accepting large loans isn’t inherently illegal. For example, we also don’t have clear evidence that secrets were exchanged via documents stored at Mar-a-Lago—although the presence of classified nuclear documents stored carelessly, in proximity to likely Russian intelligence operatives, certainly raises eyebrows.
I believe the key to unraveling this story lies in the people surrounding Trump. We’re undertaking a deep, comprehensive analysis of Trump’s inner circle. Those appointed to critical national security roles like NI, FBI, and CIA. If our hypothesis is correct and Trump operates, knowingly or otherwise, under Kremlin influence, then Putin would likely have had a say in green-lighting some of these key appointments. We need to understand how these individuals were selected, who recommended them, and what internal discussions Trump and his advisors had during these decisions.
Digging deeper into these relationships and selection processes may help us trace the threads back to their source. It feels like we’re getting closer to a fuller picture.
i'm always struck by the sense that the KGB charmed him so much in 1987 that, from that point, he saw Russia as this 'misunderstood natural ally' of the US. i can imagine them planting the seeds 'imagine, donald, if the us and russia could just have the natural alliance we should have....how great would that be? our countries are really so much alike,we could do such great things together"....and i can see trump buying this. this is just fanciful imagining on my part ...but i have a gut sense that regardless or recruitment/no recruitment, something happened in 1987 that set Trump on this russophile trajectory. maybee someday we'll know for sure. let's keep digging in the meantime.
Excellent balanced analysis. As an aside, I noticed some amusing comments in Suvorov’s "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence" on what I guess we would call agents of influence. According to Suvorov, privately, all Soviet representatives “call these parasites 'shit-eaters'” (говноед). “The contempt felt for them does not prevent the GRU and KGB from using them whenever they can....The GRU usually makes use of the shit-eaters 'in the dark', in other words not saying what they are used for or how much they benefit from their services.” I understand that Putin treats Trump with quite open contempt, though I don’t know if he would use this juicy term from the Soviet era.
Even though Trump seems to be made of Teflon and nothing really sticks, I’m pretty sure that kompromat of another sort than Golden Shower sex, could control him. If the FSB has kompromat where Trump is engaging in child porn, THAT would hurt.
At this point even rape videos wouldn’t matter since Trump would just say they’re deep fakes and people would believe him. I’ve always believed Russia’s leverage over Trump is largely financial and ideological. Trump’s wealth was dependent on Russian mafiosos and oligarchs for decades but even worse he sincerely admires Russia’s authoritarian government.
He’s not being forced to take Russia’s side against his will and as president he has always done the most that was politically possible to flip the US away from western democracy to Putin’s side. Now that he no longer needs anyone’s vote he’s finally free to realign the US with Putin, a change he could never have made in his first term.
Kompromat -Trump is purported to have a "recurring role" In the Epstein tapes (according to one insider witness (Sarah Ransome) who has since backed out likely due to threats. John Mark Dougan, a Florida Deputy Sheriff, with access to the tapes during his investigation of Epstein claims to have backup copies of the trove of evidence related to Epstein which were seized in an FBI raid. Dougan has since defected to Russia and now works to spread disinformation to the US. He states: “My copies of the files will never be released unless something untoward happens to me, because they are my guarantee of safety for me and my family in the US,”
If what Dougan says is true, is it possible Putin has gotten his hands on these copies? Yikes....
Couple of things worth adding: the Russian money was both very significant and very timely. Best example is Trump's 2008 sale of Maison de l'Amitie in Palm Beach -- at the height of the last recession, and at a time when property values in south Florida were tanking -- for $95 million to a Russian oligarch who never occupied the place (Trump had purchased the place in 2004 for $41 million). As far as Deutsche Bank goes, Trump was in a lawsuit with DB's real estate group (over the mess at his Chicago property) when DB's wealth management team took him on board as a customer. There's an awful lot of smoke over just those items. There's plenty more.
you didn't think the Russians fronted Trump hundreds of millions of dollars and gave him two KGB wives just for giggles? 🙈
Hi Bill. I want to advise you that while appraising a Bel Air estate in LA in September/October 2008 I looked at all my comparable data. I had everything huge and gold-plated with luxury in more than toilets! I had Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Adjacent, San Francisco, Carmel, Newport Beach, La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. They looked like Circuit City big-box retail and I realized I was appraising a nearly 50k square foot that looked like a Ritz Carlton and every imported material from all over the world - it is a Palace. I googled "most expensive Single-family sale in the USA ". The story of the purchase you referenced above on 2006 and it was on 10 acres, a new 30k sf modern home, not on the water. He did no improvements, didn't live there but sold it to a Russian fertilizer magnate for $94 million in 2008. I would never compare the swamp in Florida to a California Bel Air location, but these high-end spec homes are good for laundering money. Drug money and other ill-gotten gains support lawless criminals because there are laws against specific crimes.
I was blabbering this while campaigning for Hillary. Rachel Maddow finally talked about this 7 years after I was blabbering it on Facebook. I had tons of fake profiles I thought were Trump supporters who argued, but after turning them in to FB they said it was OK according to their community standards.
So with 2 of us talking about his many crimes on the same day, it is already too late to do anything against his Russia, Russia, Russia.
I will demand attention to how he views Gaza as "a demo site" for him to build anew Mediterranean resort but Bebe must get those Palestinians out first. Demolition is what he does! Our Congress has been tamed and complacent in his efforts to reward or punish. He is a patriarchal form of white trash and he couldn't manage a mobile home park.
He likes Putin because he is white. He likes Elon because he can ruin him and have him take up new arguments for Apartheid. Judges should be impeached, and law firms must be kept out of court if they ever argued or adjudicated against this insecure little weeny. Put him in prison! We have so much evidence! WTF?
How do we do What, when, where, and why? Because we can make this a more perfect union. Before they kill more innocent people! Rebuild Gaza.
Funny how real estate has always been such an easy business through which to launder money (and laundering money for the Russians has, I think, been the main focus of Trump's business for quite a while; he was a terrible operator and nothing close to an actual developer, let alone builder). I agree that what happens to Gaza and how will be a real key to seeing just how sick this world has become.
I also know that after appraising for 45 years, 34 with the MAI, I know more about real estate than he does! He is ignorant and has to steal from others to profit, but he has good cash customers. When they are theu with him, he will be killed. That is the only solution.
The key fact in Sellers’ analysis, that I, as another retired CIA officer, fully support is the nuanced and comprehensive manner with which the KGB/FSB analyze and utilize whatever they have in hand. In this case they got lucky and were able to graduate an access agent or agent of influence into a first class intelligence reporting source.
Keith Johnson
yes, they got lucky. thanks for the affirmation about KGB sophistication in these matters. they had a term for it --"canned goods" -- not a "sleeper' but somthing you put on the shelf and see what happens .......
I was really glad to see your comment below that you’re planning to examine more closely Trump’s mind. That was in the context of his fascination with strongmen or autocrats. I’ve long thought that we need more psychological analysis him. Political, economic or military decisions, in fact, are entirely dictated by his psychological complexity and derangement. (In my career I was always particularly intrigued by the need for careful assessment in the recruitment process.). Trump clearly is deranged, as we see both in his domestic and international moves. The task is to determine how and when. What are the triggers and what are the consequences of those triggers? We see evidence all the time, today for example his reaction to the 60 Minutes article yesterday about George Clooney, and the easy resultant observation that he can’t stand having somebody honored who has been critical of him. Just as he gravitates toward people (Putin) who have been complimentary. That’s a first step, but we need much more dissection and analysis. I’m glad to read you’ll be tackling that task.
Keith
Until the Russians managed to get him into the White House in 2016, I think Trump was just an easily-manipulated asset, not formally recruited. All he wanted was money and prestige, and for Putin to be "impressed with him" and "respect" him. So Putin played the game. Once he was in office, everything changed and "got real". I'm sure Putin was surprised at the fact that they actually pulled it off, and Trump thought he actually won it "fair and square"! Now Pootie would REALLY be impressed with him!
I think the press conference in Helsinki was the day that Putin finally lowered the boom on him and let him know what the REAL situation was....that Putin was going to be telling him what to do and when and how to do it, or he would release a TON of "kompromat" on Trump regarding the money laundering and all the other history, which could end his presidency or at least "make him look bad" to his adoring fans. Watch the video tape. That's why Trump looked like a deer in the headlights when he came out of that room (a meeting where the stenographer and other witnesses were not allowed to hear what was said), and Putin had a sh*t-grin on his face. I said right then and there, "Something happened in there that is not good." And it wasn't. Trump went on to insist that he believed Putin, and NOT U.S. Intelligence Services, and the deal was set. Trump found out Putin was NOT all that impressed with him, and had been using him all along. But now he couldn't let anyone know it, so he still goes through the motions of telling people what a great relationship he has with Putin.
And now, Putin and Musk have teamed up to rig the election system to get him back into power again, to keep him out of prison (and an active asset with the ability to give them massive amounts of secret information)....with the warning that if Trump didn't do what Putin wanted, Putin had even MORE dirt on him than the last 4 years, which would send him to prison anyway! That's why Trump again let's Musk boss him around and make him look foolish, like the Oval Office presser, where even Musk's 4 yr old bullied him and got away with it. And of course, he and Vance had to bully Zelenskyy to prove their loyalty to Putin.
Putin definitely knew, and still knows, how to manipulate him. No need for a formal "recruitment". Trump walked right into it, and has been seriously compromised for a very long time.
That's a really compelling take on it,and i agree the Helsinki meeting was pivotal in some way. i'm going to be taking another look at Trump's first term....i appreciate the way you've laid it out here.
I had the same impression about Trump when I saw his facial expression and body language when he emerged after he met with Putin. He slumped his shoulders and he had a faraway dejected look as if he was contemplating a difficult situation. I was also struck by the fact that a newby president would meet with Putin without advisors in the room. Has that ever happened before? I don't recall any President meeting independently without staff in the room. At the very least they would have transscribers in the room.
I agree—the one-on-one meeting in Helsinki was a key turning point. At the time, I could not believe that any sane adult—even a political novice like Trump—would do something so stupid. Now that Trump’s second term is underway, the chickens appear to be coming home to roost.
Perhaps the definitive answer to Trump’s relationship w/Putin will emerge over the course of his presidency. He is a “useful idiot” at the very least, which is terrifying.
I’ve heard him described as transactional which means he’s always looking for ‘what’s in it for him’, not the American people, but him. I’ve also heard him described as narcissistic & given his sense of grandiosity & habitual lying, I would say a malignant narcissist.
Thank you. You’re making sense.
Thank you for your deeper look into the matter and your analysis. I appreciate how you broke down the steps in the KGB process. I, for one really thought he had to be a Russian asset because to me he certainly acts like one. DJT certainly has turned things upside down. I’m glad that you are keeping open to additional information.
If DJT is not a Russian asset, then who is pulling the strings? It’s just so hard to fathom this 180 degree turn in US foreign policy and this love affair with Putin. It’s so obvious that Russia cannot be trusted and has no intention of stopping the war on the Ukrainians.
It’s also strange to me that he seems to have a penchant for foreign wives who were from the former Soviet Union blocks (former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia) and who lived under communist regimes.
He is such a dangerous and mercurial president. Obviously, he wants to put our resources towards a war with China and has all but abandoned Ukraine and our NATO allies.
Russia isn’t the strong superpower that it once was and its economy is not that large in comparison with China. It will be interesting to watch the relationship develop between Russia and China because combined they could be pretty formidable foes against the US.
And, yes, now that he does have state secrets to sell it’s all very scary and could end up very badly for “we the people.”
I’m not sure what the bigger game is and who is controlling whom at this point. DJT does seem to be the conduit/puppet for many interests (Russia, oligarchs, ultra right wing white Christians/Project 2025, and techno fascists). We are definitely in turbulent times.
it's natural to think someone must be pulling the strings when his behavior seems unexplainable otherwise. But there is a certain consistency in the way he admires 'strongman' leaders and seems drawn to the countries that operate that way,viewing them as sort of 'strong like me' and viewing demcracies as weak and 'not like me'. i'm trying to understand what is really going on his mind. I have a long way to go and it's an ugly journey.
Yes, I agree that DJT is difficult to understand and I can relate to the journey being an ugly one.
That’s why I follow his niece, Mary Trump because she has known Donald since her childhood and has a PhD in clinical psychology.
I have never been so upset by what is happening in our government and I really feel for all of my fellow citizens who are witnessing the dismantling of a stable government for 250 years.
I’m 71 and applied for Social Security in January and my first check arrived in February and I received my March payment. However, with the cuts in staff and Musk’s men messing around with our data it makes me nervous.
I am afraid. Our rights are being taken away. If permanent residents can be swept off the streets by masked men for demonstrating, who will they come for next. Seriously, the ICE police are no better than the SS Gestapo in my opinion.
Every day is worse than the previous one.
I agree and add that his supporters are impressed with his fake news and are fueled by the survivalist groups who deal in weapons and look forward to more lawlwssness!
The funny thing is that it’s one thing to support DJT, but his MAGA supporters did not vote for Elon Musk. When they stop getting their farm subsidies, have no one to work on the farms, and stop receiving their federal benefits maybe they will vote out the Republicans causing us so much pain.
Hi Keith ...nice to hear from you. i went through th Farm in 1980, then on to SE division....Addis Ababa 81-83 then Moscow 84-86. If my name rings a bell it is probably from when i got png'd from moscow in march of 86, courtesy of rick ames. it was in the news for a minute at the time. anyway,, thanks for touching base -- please weigh in here anytime. Much appreciated.
I’m going with #3. I’ve watched him for over 4 decades…I heard him interviewed while living in NYC that he “would do anything to win…anything! You are either a winner or a loser, and I am a winner.” With that, I have always taken his word that he will do anything to win.
I’ve watched Roy Cohn in action. He mentored DT to always fight and never ever stop no matter what until you win…so I have always looked at DT as Roy Cohn’s Frankenstein or Roy Cohn malevolent protege.
With that, my guess is that R determined he was too much of a loose canon and would get more out of him if they played the long game.
Everything being done by DT has played to Putin’s advantage getting absolutely zilch from Putin. Master negotiator that he is. Everything, in my opinion, Putin does is a demonstration of how DT is under his thumb.
DT needed money, and money bad and all of the sudden these luxury Trump branded residences were being gobbled up by R oligarchs and crew for cash using LLCs.
I will stop ranting now. Apologies. It felt good to get it out. Peace.
Rant on!!
Can we hear from you on Musk, Gabbard and Hegseth as well please? And what about Jake Sullivan?
About Musk - interesting thing happened to me when I had a Twitter account.
About a year maybe two years ago, I was astonished reading Musk's tweets, basically repeating routinely russian propaganda. I mean kremlin's lines word in word, like “Brezhnev mistake” on Crimea for example.
I was shocked then. So, I posted, entertaining the possibility that Musk might be a long established russian sleeper. His route would match - South Africa, Canada then the US (one of the most popular way for the sleepers to enter the US with a solid background story). And his bold pro russian terrorist state's stand strongly alligned him with the kremlin, not to mention the business deals with russian oligarchs.
Then to this tweet of mine his sister responded. Don't remember now what she has written then but I found it bizzare that a person like herself took interest in a random Twitter account.
It still makes me wonder…🤔
I agree it would make sense to look at them -- especially Gabbard and Hegseth. Will definitely do that.
What about Ivana and Melania being Russian agents?
Thank you 👍
Since at least 2022 Musk has had regular phone conversations with Putin. I’ve figured that’s why he so often repeats Kremlin propaganda, he just sponges up whatever Putin says without having any base of historical knowledge to sort the truth from Putin’s delusions and lies. It’s an interesting angle about him being a potential sleeper agent but we do know a good deal about Musk’s Nazi grandpa and his dad doesn’t really fit the profile of a Soviet sleeper agent.
More likely I suspect is that Putin has simply manipulated Musk into sharing his worldview. He’s quite ignorant about history and politics, I’ve even read that during last summer’s campaign it had to be explained to him that the US legislature is comprised of two bodies; he didn’t know that the house and senate weren’t the same.
We'll pointed. Thank you. It's probably also worth to notice, Musk mixed up with russian oligarchs when he was buying cheap russian aluminium for his Tesla cars. And before at PayPal, well, Peter Thiel was there.
I wonder when Musk turned? Was he already an agent when he entered the US? Was he influenced by Thiel? Or russian oligarchs? Or putin himself? It would be interesting to find out.
Musk's technology has been key to Ukraine war fighting.
He disabled Starlink at the crucial moment of Ukraine's naval drones offensive, saving a big chunk of russian terrorist state's Black Sea Fleet. russian terrorists are using Starlink themselves now. He never blocked them. There are some reports from Ukraine that turning on Starlink terminal on the front lines gives you now a rain of russian precision strikes.
Her response to you may have been his comment by a fake sister. He is also a racist who is in bed with putin.
From the memory, it was her actual Twitter account. I remember I blocked it back then. Maybe I shouldn't?🤔
Thanks for this excellent and insightful summary. Your assessment feels spot-on.
Trump has single-handedly reshaped GOP sentiment toward Russia, shifting the party from decades of antagonistic positions to one that’s remarkably friendly and cooperative. It’s astonishing how effectively he has overturned longstanding Russia-critical views within the GOP. But it’s also worth noting that Trump himself has consistently maintained a pro-Russia stance dating back to at least 1987. Observing from afar, it often feels as though Trump’s presidencies have primarily served Russian interests.
The big question is: what’s fueling this influence? Deutsche Bank loans and other financial ties? Kompromat? Quite possibly, all of the above.
The challenge in proving definitive wrongdoing lies in the gray areas. Accepting large loans isn’t inherently illegal. For example, we also don’t have clear evidence that secrets were exchanged via documents stored at Mar-a-Lago—although the presence of classified nuclear documents stored carelessly, in proximity to likely Russian intelligence operatives, certainly raises eyebrows.
I believe the key to unraveling this story lies in the people surrounding Trump. We’re undertaking a deep, comprehensive analysis of Trump’s inner circle. Those appointed to critical national security roles like NI, FBI, and CIA. If our hypothesis is correct and Trump operates, knowingly or otherwise, under Kremlin influence, then Putin would likely have had a say in green-lighting some of these key appointments. We need to understand how these individuals were selected, who recommended them, and what internal discussions Trump and his advisors had during these decisions.
Digging deeper into these relationships and selection processes may help us trace the threads back to their source. It feels like we’re getting closer to a fuller picture.
Great work—let’s keep digging.
Here’s the series: https://morningtruth.substack.com/t/trumpcircle
i'm always struck by the sense that the KGB charmed him so much in 1987 that, from that point, he saw Russia as this 'misunderstood natural ally' of the US. i can imagine them planting the seeds 'imagine, donald, if the us and russia could just have the natural alliance we should have....how great would that be? our countries are really so much alike,we could do such great things together"....and i can see trump buying this. this is just fanciful imagining on my part ...but i have a gut sense that regardless or recruitment/no recruitment, something happened in 1987 that set Trump on this russophile trajectory. maybee someday we'll know for sure. let's keep digging in the meantime.
Thank you for this information. I am not a paid subscriber yet but plan to be and do appreciate the opportunity to comment
Thanks Sherry! I appreciate the support! Don't stress about paid or not. Sharing and commenting also help grow our community here. ;-)
*so
I respect your thoughtful, measured conclusion thus far. Thank you.
Excellent balanced analysis. As an aside, I noticed some amusing comments in Suvorov’s "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence" on what I guess we would call agents of influence. According to Suvorov, privately, all Soviet representatives “call these parasites 'shit-eaters'” (говноед). “The contempt felt for them does not prevent the GRU and KGB from using them whenever they can....The GRU usually makes use of the shit-eaters 'in the dark', in other words not saying what they are used for or how much they benefit from their services.” I understand that Putin treats Trump with quite open contempt, though I don’t know if he would use this juicy term from the Soviet era.
Thank you for this information. It is so important to understand. Keep up your investigations please. You Sir are a true patriot!
Definitely a successful “Manchurian Candidate “.
Have you read Craig Unger's books? He goes into Trump's recruitment and ongoing relationship. Years ago, I might add.
yes and i hope to talk to him, perhaps do a live with him here. i think he's done more deep research on this than anyone.
don’t wait to talk to him, we are not getting younger… Too bad he didn’t get more exposure years ago.
Even though Trump seems to be made of Teflon and nothing really sticks, I’m pretty sure that kompromat of another sort than Golden Shower sex, could control him. If the FSB has kompromat where Trump is engaging in child porn, THAT would hurt.
At this point even rape videos wouldn’t matter since Trump would just say they’re deep fakes and people would believe him. I’ve always believed Russia’s leverage over Trump is largely financial and ideological. Trump’s wealth was dependent on Russian mafiosos and oligarchs for decades but even worse he sincerely admires Russia’s authoritarian government.
He’s not being forced to take Russia’s side against his will and as president he has always done the most that was politically possible to flip the US away from western democracy to Putin’s side. Now that he no longer needs anyone’s vote he’s finally free to realign the US with Putin, a change he could never have made in his first term.
Kompromat -Trump is purported to have a "recurring role" In the Epstein tapes (according to one insider witness (Sarah Ransome) who has since backed out likely due to threats. John Mark Dougan, a Florida Deputy Sheriff, with access to the tapes during his investigation of Epstein claims to have backup copies of the trove of evidence related to Epstein which were seized in an FBI raid. Dougan has since defected to Russia and now works to spread disinformation to the US. He states: “My copies of the files will never be released unless something untoward happens to me, because they are my guarantee of safety for me and my family in the US,”
If what Dougan says is true, is it possible Putin has gotten his hands on these copies? Yikes....
Now with crypto there may be no way to follow the money.......or?
With crypto and Artificial Intelligence we will lose Bigly!
And Algy....?
Very scary!