Public Comment
Trump: From Russia with Love
I’ve never been a Trump-Russia conspiracy fan, never subscribed to the theory that Donald Trump is a Russian agent. Given Trump’s many positge statements about Russian president Vladimir Putin, I’ve assumed Trump admires the Russian dictator, envies Putin’s wealth and power. Trump calls Putin a friend. Predictably, this past week Trump aligned US foreign policy with that of Putin.
Ukraine: Trump plans to end US involvement in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and withdraw US aid. Trump wants to negotiate solely with Putin. Trump is prepared to give his friend two things he wants: control of the Ukrainian territory Russia has seized, and guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO.
On February 28th, Trump met with Ukrainian premier Zelenskyy in the oval office. They were supposed to sign an agreement where the US would get access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth and Ukraine would obtain some security assurances. The meeting turned ugly and neither party got what they wanted. It was clear that Zelensky doesn’t trust Trump and Trump doesn’t like Zelenskyy. On March 3rd, Trump “paused” military aid to Ukraine. (Trump illegally impounded funds authorized by Congress.)
Fortunately for Ukraine, the major European nations are going to stand with the embattled country. The good news is that this alliance will provide the funds Ukraine needs. The bad news is that there will be disruption of key security systems – such as communication. I expect the US to cease all involvement with Ukraine and to withdraw from NATO. The key question is: will Russia agree to negotiate a peace agreement if the US is not at the table?
NATO: Trump’s foreign policy has become clear. The US will withdraw from traditional alliances and go it alone. Trump has offended most of our traditional allies, On February 12th, Defense Secretary Hegseth told NATO that the US defense priorities “lie outside Europe.” Within the next 30 days, Trump will withdraw the US from NATO.
Tariffs: On March 3rd, Trump announced he would levy 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico, and 20 percent tariffs on imports from China. (Trump also promises future tariffs on imports from Europe.) These tariffs will have two impacts: they will drive up consumer prices and they will further alienate us from our traditional allies.
Economy: The economic outlook is worsening. The Atlanta branch of the Federal Reserve has lowered its projection for the first quarter 2025 GDP. On Monday March 3rd they forecast 2.8% negative growth. On March 2nd, Moody’s economist Mark Zandi posted: “The economy appears to be gagging on the uncertainty created by the haphazard economic policymaking happening in DC. Retail sales, manufacturing production, real consumer spending, home sales and most telling, consumer confidence, are all down meaningfully in the past month or two.”
Summary: In six weeks, Donald Trump has authorized a massive change in the US government and our foreign policy. Trump does not believe that the federal government is an instrument for good. Trump does not believe in global alliances.
In Donald Trump’s ethics: the ends justify the means. Trump believes that if the outcome of a policy is good then the actions that produced are morally acceptable no matter how many people are hurt in the process. (This philosophy is known as consequentialism.) Trump believes that, in the long term, his policies will benefit the United States.
The reality is that Trump has weakened the nation. That’s exactly what his friend, Vladimir Putin, wants.
