Trump's Impassioned Defense of Putin: What Does it Reveal?

Trump: "He's been through a hell of a lot with me....."

Lost in the craziness of the mind-boggling Oval Office meltdown yesterday between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was Trump’s impassioned defense of Vladimir Putin. Visibly angry at a question about whether Putin could be trusted, Trump went off on a rant that bears close scrutiny:

Putin has been through a helluva lot with me with me….He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia ….. 'Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia.' You ever hear of that deal? That was a phony…..a phony Hunter Biden, Joe Biden scam. The scam of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, shifty Adam Schiff - that was a democrat scam. And Putin had to go through it. And he did go through it and we didn’t end up in a war. And he went through it. He was accused of all that stuff. He had nothing to do with it.

Think about it.

Sitting there in the Oval Office, next to the US ally who has been invaded, suffering naked aggression at the hands of Putin — he shows nothing but scorn for our ally and empathy towards, and solidarity with, the Russian invader. By doing this Trump positions himself not as an adversary of Putin defending American interests and an American ally, but rather as a compatriot to the Russian leader, whom he characterizes as a man who has endured shared trials alongside Trump.

Trump articulating this perspective in such raw, visceral terms, is stunning, especially considering Russia's documented interference in U.S. elections and its naked aggression against Ukraine, America’s supposed (and actual) ally. Trump's choice of words is extremely revealing and suggests a deep personal identification with Putin, a “bond of brothers” who have gone through hell together. This is “next level” and noteworthy.

I would argue thatTrump's lamentation on behalf of Putin completely shifts the narrative from holding a foreign adversary accountable for heinous crimes against the Ukranian people, to instead portraying Putin as a victim of unjust persecution. This reframing not only absolves Russia of its documented actions but also aligns Trump's grievances with those of Putin. They are comrades, shoulder to shoulder, victims of scam attacks.

I’m still absorbing the full impact of this escalation by Trump. I’m genuinely struck by the visceral passion with which he defended Putin. He clearly has a deeply, acutely felt view that Putin is a victim of the same forces that have have gone after Trump. He even seems to feel guilty for having put Putin through some discomfort — never mind what Putin has put Ukraine through. Does this passion for Putin prove that Trumpm is some kind of controlled Russian asset? No. He’s acting more lie a “fanboy” than a recruited agent, who would be expected to show some discipline. But regardless of what kind of label is hung on the relationshp, what today’s performance did was effectively kill any possibility that Trump is not completely in the tank for Putin in a deeply personal, heartfelt way. He’s all-in and no longer feels constrained to keep his feelings under wraps.