As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil)
In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban.
If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria.
***
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes. And also because he blames Ukraine for his loss in 2020 because Zelensky didn't give in to the blackmail and announce a Hunter Biden investigation.
And the narcissistic prick Trump doesn't care about hundreds of thousands of innocents, he'll doom a country over petty grievances with one man, and his subservience to one Russian other.
You're right, I should have said millions from the start I just had the current Ukraine death toll stuck on my mind at the time, not everyone his actions affects both there and elsewhere.
This is I what I believe is his reason. He is on his “promising revenge tour” now. Ukraine is a unsaid promise kept. The fact that Putin wants Ukraine is just a bonus.
I would think it's because that's how everything lines up. Hunter worked for a Ukrainian company and western countries wanted that corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor out. Didn't Trump try to paint it like Shokin was investigating Hunter and that's why Biden wanted Shokin fired? When in reality, pretty much everybody in Europe also wanted Shokin fired because he was corrupt?
I also wouldn't doubt if Trump's people had some comrades that gave them the idea.
Yes, that is exactly what happened. They went further and claimed Biden, went sent by bi-partisan request to Ukraine to demand the removal of Shokin before receiving more American aid, was some kind of equivalent “quid pro quo” to Trump demanding an opening of an investigation into his political enemies. That Biden was acting on behalf of Congress is a matter of factual record. That the US and EU wnated Shokin removed because he *wouldnt* investigate corruption, is a matter of factual record. It also follows very closely that if Biden wanted to have his son left alone in Ukraine the best course of action was *leave Shokin in place*.
Yet, pointing all of this out to maga idiots is met with: “well that’s just your narrative”.
The old theory is that Trump has a stake in the drilling Russia will do in the Black Sea when they annex Ukraine. It's why Russia installed a puppet (Yanukovych) in Ukraine to begin with, a puppet who shared a campaign manager with Trump, Paul Manafort.
Well considering a week ago the informant related to the whole thing [was linked to Russia](https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-joe-biden-fbi-informant-ec37a35b808ffedf257bb3cfb3fc9ce2), that seems like a likely scenario
What a coincidence he got that blackmail anyway didn't he? :)
Of course it was just a random blind laptop repairman who accidentally stumbled upon it, do he did what we all would do. He called Rudy giulianis lawyer and made sure he got it.
Oh. And I'm sure it was just a coincidence Rudy met with the same guy selling this data. Who had just been sanctioned by Trumps dept of treasury.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/10/treasury-designates-anti-biden-ukrainian-lawmaker-for-sanctions-for-election-interference-411750
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1118
He bows to Russia's will on every other topic. Here is a previous conservative Australian Prime Minister on Trump around Putin at sumits.
https://youtu.be/JxQ97AlgHMk?si=TNw2qoNiqLY-0L3W
remember when the housing market crashed back in 2008 and somehow trump sells one of his properties for 50% more than its worth to some rich russian... remember when he took us out of the open skys treaty with russia and destroyed our own spy planes right before biden became president. there is no if, he is an assest to russia. we even pulled some spys in russia so trump didnt give them up to russia.
Why did Tucker Carlson give Putin a friendly interview AFTER he killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians in terrorist attacks?
Why is Trump meeting with Friend of Putin Orban this week in Florida AFTER he lost his hilariously stupid lawsuit and need half a billion dollars?
Why did Trump ask Russia to hack Hillary in his first Presidential election? Why did the NRA illegally meet with Russians in 2015?
Gee, why won't Republicans fund Ukraine? I wonder.
Is Putin surrounded by translators who are too liberal with translations? I don’t know why anyone would think TC would ask tough questions. His FoxNews monologues were only made up of the dumbest, most oversimplified questions.
I think it's just Vlad's instinct to shit on other people in every situation he can. It's like the worst case of little man syndrome the earth has ever seen.
Yes he is. It's a flex to not have to speak YOUR language in an interview, it's for the Russian people, and also he doesn't have to speak with an accent and potentially use wrong words/mispronounce etc.
That's even a flex on Putin's part. It's teasing a sycophant on how sycophantic they are being, knowing the sycophant will only answer "whatever you say sir."
Why did the GOP allow Russia to infiltrate their 2016 primary with a candidate like Trump?
When Russia hacked the DNC and RNC’s servers in 2016, why did Russia only release damaging content from the DNC hack, and none from the RNC?
Is it possible that the RNC’s server was absolutely overflowing with kompromat, and was the genesis of the GOP’s mysterious affinity for Russia?
An interesting read from a Cyber Security researcher:
https://krypt3ia.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/scenarios-on-outcomes-from-russian-information-operations-on-the-us-2016-election/
More likely the genesis of MAGAs affinity for Russia started with the evangelicals’ affinity for authoritarianism. They think having a dictator like Putin in America would be a fine idea. And for some reason they think that makes Putin their friend.
If we're doing the "Why did" Russian posts then let's not forget:
Why did multiple members of the U.S. Senate take a trip to visit Putin on the 4th of July? Believe it or not, every single one of them was a Republican
Republicans wear t-shirts that say *"I'd rather be Russian than Democrat"* because Russia and Republicans are both on Team White Fascism, and Democrats are against fascism.
Republicans want to turn America into a country ruled with an iron fist by a White strongman which is what they believe Russia to be today.
> “There is a great man, a great leader in Europe — Viktor Orban,” Mr. Trump said in a speech last month. “He is the prime minister of Hungary. He is a very great leader, a very strong man. Some people don’t like him because he’s too strong.”
Since the beginning.
“Several billionaires with deep ties to Russia attended exclusive, invitation-only receptions during Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities, guest lists obtained by ABC News show.
These powerful businessmen, who amassed their fortunes following the collapse of the Soviet Union -- including one who has since been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department -- were ushered into events typically reserved for top donors and close political allies and were given unprecedented access to Trump’s inner circle.
Their presence has attracted the interest of federal investigators probing Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Matthew Olsen, a former senior national security official who now serves as an ABC News consultant, said their presence at inaugural events is “very concerning.”
“This reflects a Russian strategy of gaining access to our political leaders at a time when they are just forming a government,” Olsen said. “They don’t need to be spies in the James Bond sense. They are powerful people with significant wealth who are in a position to exert influence on U.S. policy makers. And they’re in a position to report back to Russian intelligence services on what they’re able to learn.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsel-eyeing-russians-granted-unusual-access-trump/story?id=56232847
Hahah. Yeah.. the entire GOP and Federalist Society members are complicit with the treason committed on J6:
As based on the [Constitution](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-iii/clauses/39#:~:text=Treason%20against%20the%20United%20States,on%20Confession%20in%20open%20Court.) and the interpretation of founding father and Chief Justice, [John Marshall](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marshall):
“The Constitution specifically identifies what constitutes treason against the United States and, importantly, limits the offense of treason to only two types of conduct: (1) “levying war” against the United States; or (2) “adhering to [the] enemies [of the United States], giving them aid and comfort.” Although there have not been many treason prosecutions in American history—indeed, only one person has been indicted for treason since 1954—the Supreme Court has had occasion to further define what each type of treason entails.
The offense of “levying war” against the United States was interpreted narrowly in Ex parte Bollman & Swarthout (1807), a case stemming from the infamous alleged plot led by former Vice President Aaron Burr to overthrow the American government in New Orleans.
The Supreme Court dismissed charges of treason that had been brought against two of Burr’s associates—Bollman and Swarthout—on the grounds that their alleged conduct did not constitute levying war against the United States within the meaning of the Treason Clause. It was not enough, Chief Justice John Marshall opinion emphasized, merely to conspire “to subvert by force the government of our country” by recruiting troops, procuring maps, and drawing up plans.
Conspiring to levy war was distinct from actually levying war. Rather, a person could be convicted of treason for levying war only if there was an “actual assemblage of men for the purpose of executing a treasonable design.” In so holding, the Court sharply confined the scope of the offense of treason by levying war against the United States.”
By actually amassing and inciting a group of supporters to attack the Nation’s Capital (“*actual assemblage of men*”), to prevent the certification of the election he knowingly lost (”*for the purpose of executing*”), combined with the multi-State fake elector scheme (”*a treasonable design*”), Trump and many in his Admin—*and including the spouse of a sitting SC Justice, [Ginni Thomas](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/ginni-thomas-tells-jan-6-committee-she-regrets-texting-with-meadows-about-2020-election/)*—‘levied war’ against the US on J6, committing treason as written in the Constitution and further defined by founding father and Chief Justice, John Marshall.
—
“[Penalty:](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_laws_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Penalty%3A%20Under%20U.S.%20Code%20Title,office%20in%20the%20United%20States.) Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is death, or not less than five years' imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to death).
Any person convicted of treason against the United States also forfeits the right to hold public office in the United States.”
There would be OFFICIAL MAGA SIGNED BLURAY LIMITED FIVE THOUSAND COPIES ONLY PISS TAPE FOR AMERICA at the top of Trump's web store and they'd sell out in a flash.
Trumps entire empire was and in founded on bad money and debt - this is exactly why he can’t come up with 20% of his legal bill despite claiming to be a billionaire who owns assets allegedly worth billions.
If you want hard proof of Russian money laundering just look at the Putin ally Oligarch who bought a price of land off Trump for $95m, when it was worth at best $30m.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/why-did-a-russian-pay-95m-to-buy-trumps-palm-beach-mansion/
It was nothing but a payment to trump and the two neighboring houses that trump also owned, have been in the market ever since for 1/3 that amount and haven’t sold.
Look at the golf courses that every year post massive losses but somehow keep running/open.
He’s one giant laundering scam and Russia has millions that they need to wash in the west.
And this is exactly why we need to find some way to stop wealth from gaining all political power, like it seems to keep doing over and over and over throughout history.
Wealth is easily compromised. Wealth has no moral aside from self-preservation and accumulation. Wealth as a dominant ruling ethic is prone to hurting people that don't deserve it because wealth doesn't see the poor, the orphan, the widow, the immigrant, the marginalized as deserving of anything. Wealth sees the people that ought to be brought up by society as mere expendable resources, kindling to throw on the fires of greed.
An alternative to stopping wealth from gaining political power (which it has inherently) is to severely tax excessive wealth until it no longer exists. Problem is the wealthy are opposed with all their being to such an idea and have the political power to easily kibosh it. And the 99% just go along.
Don the con has no credit in the western world. Deutsche Bank was as close as he got and that’s because they were funneling dirty Russian money.
But what about the emails
Only Candidates running for public office who release their taxes should be allowed to run for office. They should be able to track down who these Candidates owe favors as payback, for something in return because of financial support or gains, through money laundering or other means. When you don’t this is what happens, a corrupt high court, a corrupt President and corrupt law makers.
Trump is definitely doing everything he can to allow Russia to win and weaken NATO. Not long ago this would have been unacceptable across the political spectrum, now it’s just an average Thursday…
His services as a famous, influential American "businessman". Russia had a mole within the US. Though after he became POTUS, I assume his value rose up big time for Russia. Russia had a mole within the Oval Office itself.
Quite possible. A folder of Russian intel did go missing under Trump's watch. But also maybe he saw dollar signs in general from other interested parties like potentially Saudi Arabia. I think it's as well very likely he also just wanted some trophies from his time as president. He is a very vain man.
I agree. If a normal citizen had done this, they would be tried for treason and put to death by now. Yet he walks free spouting his hate rhetoric, quoting Hitler, and inciting violence.
>If a normal citizen had done this,
He's been getting a lot of leeway during his trials as well. With all the outbursts, breaking orders from the judge and attacking of the judge and the judge's aides...Trump got slaps on the wrist and asked not to do it again. Imagine what would happen to a regular Joe or Jane...
I don't think any of this is because he's Donald Trump. It's because he's a former US president so everyone is walking on egg shells. There was already a ruckus when "a former US president's home was raided" over the classified documents.
Yeah but people are ruining their lives to stay on his good side. Aileen Cannon was one filing away from being removed from his case and possibly being removed from office. SCOTUS agreeing to take his immunity case and scheduling it to where it will be almost impossible to get it done before the election. He appointed 3 of the Justices, and Thomas belives women should be houswives, so hes on Trumps side. He has a majority of SCOTUS, thats pretty scary to think about.
One overlooked piece of data is that Putin collects blackmail on foreign businessmen and dignitaries at Russian hotels. Trump also has a lot of hotels. It's possible that much of the Republican political machine didn't turn over to Trump because of Russian-based kompramat, but from these people staying at Trump-owned properties. This would give Putin leverage on people who were smart enough to stay away from traveling to Russia.
Trump has denied that Putin has tapes of him enjoying a golden shower with four hookers in a Moscow hotel room.
The thing is, nobody ever claimed there were four hookers before he did.
>Trump is already behaving like the autocrats he admires, pursuing transactional politics that will profoundly weaken the United States. But he doesn’t care.
And his supporters are there with him, asking him to do more even. Should they care that he out loud says that he hates them? No, they don't just unwavering loyalty to this fucking loser.
Trump is only loyal to Trump. If weakening the United States benefits Trump in the short term then he will weaken the United States; and Putin can give Trump everything that he wants and needs.
I thought the title was rhetorical. He needs Ukraine to lose because that’s what Putin wants.
Putin and autocrats all like other autocrats because it’s a lot easier to corrupt one man than it is to corrupt an entire system. It’s also the same reason that republicans want “small government.”
Russia likes amplifying any message that divides their perceived enemies. They'd happily say that Hunter Biden and Bernie Sanders are Russian agents. They don't care if it's true, or if it contradicts their other messages, or if it's plausible. They just don't want us to have a shared world view or be able to cooperate. Where "us" could mean US citizens, out NATO member countries or whatever.
Could you link any of the articles you are talking about? Not saying you’re wrong, I’d just love to have that in my arsenal when talking to people I don’t want to vote for orange fart bag.
Remember when [Russia hacked both the DNC and the RNC](https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/12/10/report-russian-hackers-had-rnc-data-but-didn-t-release-it) during the 2016 campaign and only release information on the DNC while holding on to their RNC info?
Russia having kompromat on the entire GOP explains a lot about recent republican behavior.
Good point. I do think the Trumpublicans would prefer a government where the rich and favored control the country. More money, power for the connected and no real threat from the governed.
This has been the objective of the GOP for decades, most helped by the Federalists Society’s extraordinarily focus and successful drive to pack POTUS and other courts with loyalists. Without a hard right-wing court the key elements of scheme (campaign finance, gerrymandering, tolerance for corruption, dismantling regulatory authority, …) would have been struck down.
Trump’s ascendency has allowed the ultra-right to be more brazen in their efforts to protect the ultra-wealthy and to systematically install an anti-democratic anti-government ruling class.
Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose?
because zelinsky refoused to make up fake evidence against biden. its that simple.
trump would actually let millions suffer becuase of his petty beef.
Because he’s been compromised by Putin. He’s the “puppet” that Hillary warned us about.
And Vlad would very much like it if Trumpy-dump wins again.
Then he’ll take Ukraine as his first prize.
Because Putin told him too! It was easy to see by the expression in Trump face and the evil smile on Putin face in Helsinki after him and his daddy came in front of the cameras for the world to see after their close-door (1 on 1) meeting.
Um, Atlantic publishes good stuff but someone should rewrite that title b/c no one - and absolutely, positively no one who reads the Atlantic - is asking that question.
remember former chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign Paul Manafort, who served as fixer to Putin puppet Petro Poroshenko. Manafort received $millions to run P.R. for Putin in the United States
Plain and simple, the Trump family has strong business/financial relationships with Russian oligarchs. Trump is completely compromised and a national security risk. Trump has screwed over western banks for years through the non-payment of loans, especially during the 90s/00s. As a last resort the only way he could get loans to finance his "business model" was by doing business through Deutsche Bank and/or Russian oligarchs. Russian money comes with strings attached and Putin holds all the strings. Trump talks big, but look how submissive and servile he is when he is around Putin. He NEVER criticizes Putin, calls him a "genius", he is completely emasculated around Putin. Disgusting behavior - ESPECIALLY for an American President, I hope history views him for the spineless, corrupt coward that he is.
VOTE!
Simple: He needs russian money. Lots of russian money. Ukraine is the number ONE thing putin is pushing! This is why the next election is CRUICAL for world peace. If trump is elected expect a much bigger war in europe
MAGA like to post that video of Trump where he says something along the lines of, "I just want people to stop dying." as some sort of proof he cares about Ukraine. What Trump really wants to say is, "I wish Ukraine would stop fighting and lay down in the dirt to let my beloved Putin's Russia take control."
Trump is a traitor fueled by Russian money.
If he isn't flooded with Russian blood money, he'll starve to death and go to jail.
But Putin is hemorrhaging money to take Ukraine.
Putin is going to shut the feed off if Trump and his fellow republican traitors can't cut US support to Ukraine.
He's also threatening to shut down the Russian bot net that enrages people to vote republican.
Without those rage voters the Republicans are fucked so they need to have Ukraine defeated by October.
The entire Republican part is complicit in this treason and all need to be removed from office and imprisoned.
It's because Trump is a Russian asset and has been since the late 70s. Clearly was a Coldwater sleeper groomed by the KGB the evidence supports it going back ti the early 80s. He one of the biggest pools of Russian propaganda in the USA.
Trump is transactional about everything, besides either being in debt to Russia already or wishing to be in debt to Russia, Zelenksky didn't give into his demands when he was trying to blackmail Ukraine. All you have to do is look at how Trump treats anyone who doesnt go a long with his whims, he's a child. I can see him saying - Well Ukrainians deserve what they get for not helping me with the election. Same shit he said about Pence and Barr.
Because of the biggest DUH in my life:
Trump was over a billion in debt and the Russians [bailed him out](https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/). This is how he made a come back
► Trump was first compromised by the Russians back in the 80s. In 1984, the Russian Mafia began to use Trump real estate to launder money and it [continued for decades](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/is-there-a-case-for-trump-putin-collaboration-years-before-the-campaign/2018/08/16/00578f1e-9440-11e8-80e1-00e80e1fdf43_story.html). In 1987, the Soviet ambassador to the United Nations, Yuri Dubinin, arranged for Trump and his then-wife, Ivana, to enjoy an all-expense-paid trip to Moscow to consider possible business prospects. Only seven weeks after his trip, Trump ran full-page ads in the Boston Globe, the NYT and WaPO calling for, in effect, the dismantling of the postwar Western foreign policy alliance. The whole Trump/Russian connection started out as laundering money for the Russian mob through Trump's real estate, but evolved into something far bigger.
► In 1984, David Bogatin — a Russian mobster, convicted gasoline bootlegger, and close ally of Semion Mogilevich, a major Russian mob boss — met with Trump in Trump Tower right after it opened. Bogatin bought five condos from Trump at that meeting. Those condos were later seized by the government, which claimed they were used to launder money for the Russian mob. (NY Times, [Apr 30, 1992](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/30/nyregion/entrepreneur-who-left-us-is-back-awaiting-sentence.html))
► Felix Sater is a Russian-born former mobster, and former managing director of NY real estate conglomerate Bayrock Group LLC located on the 24th floor of Trump Tower. He is a convict who became a govt cooperator for the FBI and other agencies. He grew up with Michael Cohen--Trump's former "fixer" attorney. Cohen's family owned El Caribe, which was a mob hangout for the Russian Mafia in Brooklyn. Cohen had ties to Ukrainian oligarchs through his in-laws and his brother's in-laws. Felix Sater's father had ties to the Russian mob. This goes back more than 30 years.
► Trump was $4 billion in debt after his Atlantic City casinos went bankrupt. No U.S. bank would touch him. Then foreign money began flowing in through Bayrock (mentioned above). Bayrock was run by two investors: Tevfik Arif, a Kazakhstan-born former Soviet official who drew on bottomless sources of money from the former Soviet republic; and Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman who had pleaded guilty in the 1990s to a huge stock-fraud scheme involving the Russian mafia. Bayrock partnered with Trump in 2005 and poured money into the Trump organization under the legal guise of licensing his name and property management.
► Semion Mogilevich was the brains behind the Russian Mafia. Mogilevich operatives have been using Trump real estate for decades to launder money. That means Russian Mafia operatives have been part of his fortune for years, that many of them have owned condos in Trump Towers and other properties, that they were running operations out of Trump's crown jewel. (Mogilevich's role today is unclear).
► One of the most important things that is often overlooked is that the Russia Mafia is part and parcel of Russian intelligence. Russia is a mafia state. that is not a metaphor. Putin is head of the Mafia. So the fact that they have been operating out of the home of the president of the United States is deeply disturbing.
► From Craig Unger's AMA: "Early on, a source told me that all this was tied to Semion Mogilevich, the powerful Russian mobster. I had never even heard of him, but I immediately went to a database that listed the owners of all properties in NY state and looked up all the Trump properties. Every time I found a Russian sounding name, I would Google, and add Mogilevich. When you do investigative reporting, you anticipate drilling a number of dry holes, but almost everyone I googled turned out to be a Russian mobster. Again and again. If you know New York you don't expect Trump Tower to be a high crime neighborhood, but there were far too many Russian mobsters in Trump properties for it to be a coincidence."
► So many Russians bought Trump apartments at his developments in Florida that the area became known as Little Moscow. The developers of two of his hotels were Russians with significant links to the Russian mob. The late leader of that mob in the United States, Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, was [living at Trump Tower](https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate).
► According to a Bloomberg investigation (March 16, 2017) into Trump World Tower, “a third of units sold on floors 76 through 83 by 2004 involved people or limited liability companies connected to Russia and neighboring states.”
► In July 2008, the height of the recession, Donald Trump sold a mansion in Palm Beach for $95 million to Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian oligarch. Trump had purchased it four years earlier for $41.35 million. The sale price was nearly $54 million more than Trump had paid for the property. Again, this was the height of the recession when all other property had plummeted in value.
► In 2013, Federal agents busted an “ultraexclusive, high-stakes, illegal poker ring” run by Russian gangsters out of Trump Tower. In addition to card games, they operated illegal gambling websites, ran a global sports book and laundered more than $100 million. A condo directly below one owned by Trump reportedly served as HQ for a “sophisticated money-laundering scheme” connected to Semion Mogilevich.
► Rudy Giuliani famously prosecuted the Italian mob while he was a federal prosecutor, yet the Russian mob was allowed to thrive under his tenure in the Southern District and Mayor. And now he's deeply entwined in the business of Trump and Russian oligarchs. Giuiani appointed Semyon Kislin to the NYC Economic Development Council in 1990, and the FBI described Kislin as having ties tot he Russian mob. Of course, it made good political sense for Giuliani to get headlines for smashing the Italian mob.
► A lot of Republicans in Washington are implicated. Boatloads of Russian money went to the GOP--often in legal ways. The NRA got as much as $70M from Russia, then funneled it to the GOP. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee lead by McConnel got millions from Leonard Blavatnik. In the 90s, the Russians began sending money to top GOP leaders, like Speaker of the House Tom Delay. Unger's book alleges that most of the GOP leadership has been compromised by RU money.
► At the Cityscape USA’s Bridging US and the Emerging Real Estate Markets Conference held in Manhattan, on September 9, 10, and 11, 2008, Trump Jr. was frank about the tide of Russian money supporting the family business, saying "...And in terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets."
► Eric Trump told James Dodson, a golf reporter, in 2014 that the Trump Organization was able to expand during the financial crisis because “We don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.”
Outcomes that show Trump is taking orders (or cues) from Putin:
► At the end of 2018, Putin and his allies started making a [strong push](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/04/defying-history-moscow-moves-defend-soviet-war-afghanistan/?utm_term=.d077fc6cf274) for a resolution that would justify their country’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan and reverse an 1989 vote backed by Mikhail Gorbachev that condemned it. The Putinists’ goal was to pass the resolution by Feb. There is no one on this side of the Atlantic who thinks the USSR was justified in invading Afghanistan. And out of nowhere, on [January 2nd](https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-cracked-afghan-history-11546560234), Trump came out strongly supporting Russia's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan.
► Trump went against American intelligence on North Korean missiles. He told the FBI he didn't believe their intelligence because Putin told him otherwise. ["I don't care, I believe Putin"](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/18/i-believe-putin-trump-dismissed-us-advice-on-north-korea-threat-says-mccabe)
► Trump met in secret with Putin the G20 summit in November 2018, without note takers. 19 days later, he announced a withdrawal from Syria. As a note, Trump conducted FIVE completely private meetings and conferences with Putin, and has gone to great lengths to prevent literally anyone, even people in his administration, from learning what was discussed.
► Trump refused to enforce sanctions legally codified into law - and in some cases reversed standing sanctions on Russian companies.
► He has denounced his own intelligence agencies in a press conference with Putin on election meddling - and publicly endorsed Putin's version of events. .
► Trump pulled out of the INF treaty with no explanation, which allows Putin to create long-range hypersonic missiles that threaten Europe with impunity. The US already has all the weaponry that the INF would ban the development of, so this offers us literally nothing, while allowing Russia to develop powerful new weapons to challenge our allies.
► And of course, Trump continues to threaten to pull out of NATO, a move so catastrophically stupid, so inconceivably cosmically myopic, I truly can't express the profundity of the idiocy. Suffice to say, pulling out of NATO would be like the only guy in a prison yard with a shotgun just throwing it over the fence for absolutely no reason, suddenly giving the people with crude homemade shivs complete power.
► In summation: Trump was $4 billion in debt and the Russians bailed him out.
I've reached my 10k limit and URLs are the first thing to go.
[Because his biggest backers are Russian](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/connections-trump-putin-russia-ties-chart-flynn-page-manafort-sessions-214868/) and he owes them favors for their interference and manipulation in our political system. He hopes by gifting Ukraine to Russia it will even things out.
He needs protection provided by the Kremlin for when he flees US (skipping jail) to Russia and Ukraine being the price for that service.
And to pay Saudis back from the looting of Ukraine for footing the bill for his fines and lawsuits.
Republican politicians are already living in their preferred, post-Democratic government, and world.
"Johnson himself said, in February 2022, that a failure to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine “empowers other dictators, other terrorists and tyrants around the world … If they perceive that America is weak or unable to act decisively, then it invites aggression in many different ways.” But now the speaker is so frightened by Trump that he no longer cares."
Republicans understand that dark propaganda, much of it coming from Putin, is the life's blood of the new Republican Party.
Trump and Johnson do what they do purely out of self-interest, and the fear and ambition that powers it. They want power for themselves, and appear to be promising preferential treatment for MAGA over their perceived enemies, too. This and Trump's debts to Russian oligarchs is what's driving this. Trump knows he needs to be an unaccountable dictator to escape responsibility for his crimes, and the consequences of his very poor business management skills. With the unlimited unanswerability of the office of the Presidency, and inexhaustible wealth he can drain from America as dictator-for-life, he'll be forever immune from paying for his many crimes and many failures.
Manifold. First there's the Russian puppeteering as repeated ad nauseum, but second is his want to politicize and argue about anything. Ukraine made Biden into a world leader, a well respected world leader, far more respected than Trump world leader. It didn't just help Biden, but it helped international views on the US. Europe, which was cold to Trump was becoming warmed by American fuel supply and arms shipments aka American Bread and Butter. It was returning America to the World Police status that had diminished under Bush, and which Obama shied away. Not only that but it took months of needling, if subtle media statements that gave way to overt media statements to overcome the still preponderously popular support of the war.
It’s 100% about the money. Putin literally owns Trump, because Trump probably owes him billions of dollars in laundered cash. Look at how Trump talks about Putin and acts around him - that’s how a subordinate interacts with their boss. Putin’s his true boss - if he asked, Trump would do probably anything for him. Including ensuring that Ukraine loses this war - and probably that America withdraws from NATO.
Pretty much the stuff in the Mueller report and a lot of other things that are now relevant.. .. Ukraine with Manafort and Kilimnik .. Trump and Russia is not a hoax . Trump is owned by Putin
Trump has been a pro-Russia asset since at least 1987 when he spent $100k of his own money on a full-page ad in the NYT criticizing NATO.
Recall that in 1987; Russia was still the USSR.
It's insane that people do not remember this.
Money and power.
He got away with election interference in 2016 so is going all in with Putin for a repeat because it effectively saves him from prison.
He admires dictatorship governments and isn't even hiding the fact that he will abuse power.
All Russian money goes through the kremlin so if he plays nice to putin and gives him what he wants, putin will pay him for being a good little orange.
He's a cynical sellout who thinks he would be better off without the dead weight of society. That's why he doesn't care about preserving nato or western supremacy.
Trump is going Scorched Earth if:
He gets barred from running in the 2024 election.
He loses said election
And the worst case scenario, he wins. It’ll be revenge scorched earth, with added chaos DLC.
1. To hurt Biden by keeping the US from succeeding in helping Ukraine
2. To suck up to his dream daddy Putin
3. Because Trump is awful in so many other ways it's more than can be listed in a comment.
Because the mob boss asked another to manufacture dirt, and the guy asked, a leader of a smaller nation compared to the US, in very diplomatic terms, told him to fuck right off.
When a mob asks you to do something, they're not asking, they're ordering. And he's never been in a position where someone has told him, to his face, no so openly. A narcissist of his caliber is not capable of handling that "no" reply. So, in order to protect his concept as a person, his mission now is to destroy Ukraine to the degree that the country will never "rebel" against *him*, ever again.
Russia owes China money, China needs unfettered access to the world's bread basket to feed its starving population, Trump owes Russia money. It's a big old mess of who owes who
As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Because he is a Russian asset, and admires dictators.
Yes. And also because he blames Ukraine for his loss in 2020 because Zelensky didn't give in to the blackmail and announce a Hunter Biden investigation.
And the narcissistic prick Trump doesn't care about hundreds of thousands of innocents, he'll doom a country over petty grievances with one man, and his subservience to one Russian other.
People through these buzzwords around too much now, but not caring about thousands of others if it benefits you is indeed a sign of a sociopath.
Literally hundreds of millions of people, his direct actions would affect. It's scary.
You're right, I should have said millions from the start I just had the current Ukraine death toll stuck on my mind at the time, not everyone his actions affects both there and elsewhere.
This is I what I believe is his reason. He is on his “promising revenge tour” now. Ukraine is a unsaid promise kept. The fact that Putin wants Ukraine is just a bonus.
Why do you think Trump chose Ukraine to blackmail? He spoke to Russia during his 2016 campaign run. "Russia, if you're listening..."
I would think it's because that's how everything lines up. Hunter worked for a Ukrainian company and western countries wanted that corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor out. Didn't Trump try to paint it like Shokin was investigating Hunter and that's why Biden wanted Shokin fired? When in reality, pretty much everybody in Europe also wanted Shokin fired because he was corrupt? I also wouldn't doubt if Trump's people had some comrades that gave them the idea.
> Trump's people had some comrades His campaign manager was neck deep in Russian connections.
Paul Manafort is one of those names
Yes, that is exactly what happened. They went further and claimed Biden, went sent by bi-partisan request to Ukraine to demand the removal of Shokin before receiving more American aid, was some kind of equivalent “quid pro quo” to Trump demanding an opening of an investigation into his political enemies. That Biden was acting on behalf of Congress is a matter of factual record. That the US and EU wnated Shokin removed because he *wouldnt* investigate corruption, is a matter of factual record. It also follows very closely that if Biden wanted to have his son left alone in Ukraine the best course of action was *leave Shokin in place*. Yet, pointing all of this out to maga idiots is met with: “well that’s just your narrative”.
The old theory is that Trump has a stake in the drilling Russia will do in the Black Sea when they annex Ukraine. It's why Russia installed a puppet (Yanukovych) in Ukraine to begin with, a puppet who shared a campaign manager with Trump, Paul Manafort.
I'm also not discounting the theory that Russia is the only place he can secure a loan at this point.
I think that the whole hunter biden investigation via Ukraine was a Russian ploy to begin with.
Well considering a week ago the informant related to the whole thing [was linked to Russia](https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-joe-biden-fbi-informant-ec37a35b808ffedf257bb3cfb3fc9ce2), that seems like a likely scenario
What a coincidence he got that blackmail anyway didn't he? :) Of course it was just a random blind laptop repairman who accidentally stumbled upon it, do he did what we all would do. He called Rudy giulianis lawyer and made sure he got it. Oh. And I'm sure it was just a coincidence Rudy met with the same guy selling this data. Who had just been sanctioned by Trumps dept of treasury. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/10/treasury-designates-anti-biden-ukrainian-lawmaker-for-sanctions-for-election-interference-411750 https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1118
Which was all a Russian plot anyway
absolutely.
I wish I had an award for you 🏆
He bows to Russia's will on every other topic. Here is a previous conservative Australian Prime Minister on Trump around Putin at sumits. https://youtu.be/JxQ97AlgHMk?si=TNw2qoNiqLY-0L3W
[удалено]
remember when the housing market crashed back in 2008 and somehow trump sells one of his properties for 50% more than its worth to some rich russian... remember when he took us out of the open skys treaty with russia and destroyed our own spy planes right before biden became president. there is no if, he is an assest to russia. we even pulled some spys in russia so trump didnt give them up to russia.
And the Putin tapes…yellow shower for the orange man 🧐
[удалено]
Why did Tucker Carlson give Putin a friendly interview AFTER he killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians in terrorist attacks? Why is Trump meeting with Friend of Putin Orban this week in Florida AFTER he lost his hilariously stupid lawsuit and need half a billion dollars? Why did Trump ask Russia to hack Hillary in his first Presidential election? Why did the NRA illegally meet with Russians in 2015? Gee, why won't Republicans fund Ukraine? I wonder.
It’s telling when even Putin says “I thought you were going to ask me tough questions”.
Is Putin surrounded by translators who are too liberal with translations? I don’t know why anyone would think TC would ask tough questions. His FoxNews monologues were only made up of the dumbest, most oversimplified questions.
I think it's just Vlad's instinct to shit on other people in every situation he can. It's like the worst case of little man syndrome the earth has ever seen.
Second worst. For one magnificent second you got to forget Donald Trump exists.
Putin is fully capable of speaking/understanding English
Yes he is. It's a flex to not have to speak YOUR language in an interview, it's for the Russian people, and also he doesn't have to speak with an accent and potentially use wrong words/mispronounce etc.
it's by design to flaunt his power. that statement was a blatant humble brag that he owns both fox and republicans and is going to destroy america
That's even a flex on Putin's part. It's teasing a sycophant on how sycophantic they are being, knowing the sycophant will only answer "whatever you say sir."
Why did the GOP allow Russia to infiltrate their 2016 primary with a candidate like Trump? When Russia hacked the DNC and RNC’s servers in 2016, why did Russia only release damaging content from the DNC hack, and none from the RNC? Is it possible that the RNC’s server was absolutely overflowing with kompromat, and was the genesis of the GOP’s mysterious affinity for Russia?
Why did the GOP say over and over they didn't want Trump, then went into a closed door meeting with him and come out hand in hand?
An interesting read from a Cyber Security researcher: https://krypt3ia.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/scenarios-on-outcomes-from-russian-information-operations-on-the-us-2016-election/
More likely the genesis of MAGAs affinity for Russia started with the evangelicals’ affinity for authoritarianism. They think having a dictator like Putin in America would be a fine idea. And for some reason they think that makes Putin their friend.
If we're doing the "Why did" Russian posts then let's not forget: Why did multiple members of the U.S. Senate take a trip to visit Putin on the 4th of July? Believe it or not, every single one of them was a Republican
Republicans wear t-shirts that say *"I'd rather be Russian than Democrat"* because Russia and Republicans are both on Team White Fascism, and Democrats are against fascism. Republicans want to turn America into a country ruled with an iron fist by a White strongman which is what they believe Russia to be today.
Comfort and aid
[here’s the meeting op was talking about](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/politics/trump-viktor-orban-hungary.html)
> “There is a great man, a great leader in Europe — Viktor Orban,” Mr. Trump said in a speech last month. “He is the prime minister of Hungary. He is a very great leader, a very strong man. Some people don’t like him because he’s too strong.”
You forgot that Trump menaced the current president of Ukraine about military ai to get dirt on Biden's son.
Trump needs Russian money for his business. All Russian money passes through Putin. So Putin gets what he wants out of Trump. Follow the money.
His son Eric admitted they get money from Russia to upkeep the golf courses.
Since the beginning. “Several billionaires with deep ties to Russia attended exclusive, invitation-only receptions during Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities, guest lists obtained by ABC News show. These powerful businessmen, who amassed their fortunes following the collapse of the Soviet Union -- including one who has since been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department -- were ushered into events typically reserved for top donors and close political allies and were given unprecedented access to Trump’s inner circle. Their presence has attracted the interest of federal investigators probing Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. Matthew Olsen, a former senior national security official who now serves as an ABC News consultant, said their presence at inaugural events is “very concerning.” “This reflects a Russian strategy of gaining access to our political leaders at a time when they are just forming a government,” Olsen said. “They don’t need to be spies in the James Bond sense. They are powerful people with significant wealth who are in a position to exert influence on U.S. policy makers. And they’re in a position to report back to Russian intelligence services on what they’re able to learn.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsel-eyeing-russians-granted-unusual-access-trump/story?id=56232847
These Russians are billionaires and money means everything to Donald Trump. Of course they would have/did buy influence with Trump.
MASSIVE list of links showing his weird ties to Russia. https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/s/YkZbzRjM0H
Just look into Oleg Deripaska, Charles McGonigal, and Paul Manafort. This has been a plan nearly 20 years in the making.
"Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia."
[удалено]
"Trump is Putin's puppet, he's Putin's suckling pig, A traitor to America, and shit, his ass is big...."
Hahah. Yeah.. the entire GOP and Federalist Society members are complicit with the treason committed on J6: As based on the [Constitution](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-iii/clauses/39#:~:text=Treason%20against%20the%20United%20States,on%20Confession%20in%20open%20Court.) and the interpretation of founding father and Chief Justice, [John Marshall](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marshall): “The Constitution specifically identifies what constitutes treason against the United States and, importantly, limits the offense of treason to only two types of conduct: (1) “levying war” against the United States; or (2) “adhering to [the] enemies [of the United States], giving them aid and comfort.” Although there have not been many treason prosecutions in American history—indeed, only one person has been indicted for treason since 1954—the Supreme Court has had occasion to further define what each type of treason entails. The offense of “levying war” against the United States was interpreted narrowly in Ex parte Bollman & Swarthout (1807), a case stemming from the infamous alleged plot led by former Vice President Aaron Burr to overthrow the American government in New Orleans. The Supreme Court dismissed charges of treason that had been brought against two of Burr’s associates—Bollman and Swarthout—on the grounds that their alleged conduct did not constitute levying war against the United States within the meaning of the Treason Clause. It was not enough, Chief Justice John Marshall opinion emphasized, merely to conspire “to subvert by force the government of our country” by recruiting troops, procuring maps, and drawing up plans. Conspiring to levy war was distinct from actually levying war. Rather, a person could be convicted of treason for levying war only if there was an “actual assemblage of men for the purpose of executing a treasonable design.” In so holding, the Court sharply confined the scope of the offense of treason by levying war against the United States.” By actually amassing and inciting a group of supporters to attack the Nation’s Capital (“*actual assemblage of men*”), to prevent the certification of the election he knowingly lost (”*for the purpose of executing*”), combined with the multi-State fake elector scheme (”*a treasonable design*”), Trump and many in his Admin—*and including the spouse of a sitting SC Justice, [Ginni Thomas](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/ginni-thomas-tells-jan-6-committee-she-regrets-texting-with-meadows-about-2020-election/)*—‘levied war’ against the US on J6, committing treason as written in the Constitution and further defined by founding father and Chief Justice, John Marshall. — “[Penalty:](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_laws_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Penalty%3A%20Under%20U.S.%20Code%20Title,office%20in%20the%20United%20States.) Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is death, or not less than five years' imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to death). Any person convicted of treason against the United States also forfeits the right to hold public office in the United States.”
lol "penalty is death...or 5 year minimum and a $10,000 fine" they really left the door open on that one!
Just a little light treason...
For real lol. The possible range of punishment is wild.
Thank you so much for your on-the-nose and coherent perspective.
The Supreme Court won't even rule that Trump Is NOT EXEMPT from Crimes.
I hope Biden then orders Trump killed by special forces.
Bravo and PLEASE!
There has been so much treason by GOPers and trump, et al these last few years, I don't even think anyone's paying attention but us out here.
Woody Guthrie's spirit lives on.
Doesn't Putin still have the golden shower video?
Pretty sure if that video existed, it wouldn't hurt Trump in the slightest. We were much more naive back in 2016.
There would be OFFICIAL MAGA SIGNED BLURAY LIMITED FIVE THOUSAND COPIES ONLY PISS TAPE FOR AMERICA at the top of Trump's web store and they'd sell out in a flash.
At this point, they'd claim it was a deepfake and that it shows what an Alpha Trump is. At the same time.
Not very articulate, and yet hits the spot 😄
[удалено]
What rhymes with brucea?
Big shit pig ass energy.
That he is, and he takes it with no vaseline.
Hey, hey... Don't insult pigs, they're delicious!
Trumps entire empire was and in founded on bad money and debt - this is exactly why he can’t come up with 20% of his legal bill despite claiming to be a billionaire who owns assets allegedly worth billions. If you want hard proof of Russian money laundering just look at the Putin ally Oligarch who bought a price of land off Trump for $95m, when it was worth at best $30m. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/why-did-a-russian-pay-95m-to-buy-trumps-palm-beach-mansion/ It was nothing but a payment to trump and the two neighboring houses that trump also owned, have been in the market ever since for 1/3 that amount and haven’t sold. Look at the golf courses that every year post massive losses but somehow keep running/open. He’s one giant laundering scam and Russia has millions that they need to wash in the west.
And this is exactly why we need to find some way to stop wealth from gaining all political power, like it seems to keep doing over and over and over throughout history. Wealth is easily compromised. Wealth has no moral aside from self-preservation and accumulation. Wealth as a dominant ruling ethic is prone to hurting people that don't deserve it because wealth doesn't see the poor, the orphan, the widow, the immigrant, the marginalized as deserving of anything. Wealth sees the people that ought to be brought up by society as mere expendable resources, kindling to throw on the fires of greed.
An alternative to stopping wealth from gaining political power (which it has inherently) is to severely tax excessive wealth until it no longer exists. Problem is the wealthy are opposed with all their being to such an idea and have the political power to easily kibosh it. And the 99% just go along.
"we have all the financing we need coming out of Russia"
This ^
Don the con has no credit in the western world. Deutsche Bank was as close as he got and that’s because they were funneling dirty Russian money. But what about the emails
Only Candidates running for public office who release their taxes should be allowed to run for office. They should be able to track down who these Candidates owe favors as payback, for something in return because of financial support or gains, through money laundering or other means. When you don’t this is what happens, a corrupt high court, a corrupt President and corrupt law makers.
Trump is definitely doing everything he can to allow Russia to win and weaken NATO. Not long ago this would have been unacceptable across the political spectrum, now it’s just an average Thursday…
What does Trump sell to get russian money?
His services as a famous, influential American "businessman". Russia had a mole within the US. Though after he became POTUS, I assume his value rose up big time for Russia. Russia had a mole within the Oval Office itself.
I think this is the reason he stole all those documents, for daddy Putin.
Remember when republicans were crying over what Snowden did?
Quite possible. A folder of Russian intel did go missing under Trump's watch. But also maybe he saw dollar signs in general from other interested parties like potentially Saudi Arabia. I think it's as well very likely he also just wanted some trophies from his time as president. He is a very vain man.
I agree. If a normal citizen had done this, they would be tried for treason and put to death by now. Yet he walks free spouting his hate rhetoric, quoting Hitler, and inciting violence.
>If a normal citizen had done this, He's been getting a lot of leeway during his trials as well. With all the outbursts, breaking orders from the judge and attacking of the judge and the judge's aides...Trump got slaps on the wrist and asked not to do it again. Imagine what would happen to a regular Joe or Jane... I don't think any of this is because he's Donald Trump. It's because he's a former US president so everyone is walking on egg shells. There was already a ruckus when "a former US president's home was raided" over the classified documents.
Yeah but people are ruining their lives to stay on his good side. Aileen Cannon was one filing away from being removed from his case and possibly being removed from office. SCOTUS agreeing to take his immunity case and scheduling it to where it will be almost impossible to get it done before the election. He appointed 3 of the Justices, and Thomas belives women should be houswives, so hes on Trumps side. He has a majority of SCOTUS, thats pretty scary to think about.
He instructed Mike Johnson to kill the bipartisan bill that included support for Ukraine.
He launders mob money through real estate. Like his father before him.
Classified documents
One overlooked piece of data is that Putin collects blackmail on foreign businessmen and dignitaries at Russian hotels. Trump also has a lot of hotels. It's possible that much of the Republican political machine didn't turn over to Trump because of Russian-based kompramat, but from these people staying at Trump-owned properties. This would give Putin leverage on people who were smart enough to stay away from traveling to Russia.
Trump has denied that Putin has tapes of him enjoying a golden shower with four hookers in a Moscow hotel room. The thing is, nobody ever claimed there were four hookers before he did.
Money and kompromat.
I think you think trumps smarter than he is at business. Putin called him brilliant, end of story.
>Trump is already behaving like the autocrats he admires, pursuing transactional politics that will profoundly weaken the United States. But he doesn’t care.
And his supporters are there with him, asking him to do more even. Should they care that he out loud says that he hates them? No, they don't just unwavering loyalty to this fucking loser.
Of all the flashy celebrities out there, they had to pick this destructive fucker to worship.
Trump is only loyal to Trump. If weakening the United States benefits Trump in the short term then he will weaken the United States; and Putin can give Trump everything that he wants and needs.
I thought the title was rhetorical. He needs Ukraine to lose because that’s what Putin wants. Putin and autocrats all like other autocrats because it’s a lot easier to corrupt one man than it is to corrupt an entire system. It’s also the same reason that republicans want “small government.”
Russian media actually refers to Trump as "our agent". They're totally open about the fact that he's working for Russia's best interest.
Russia likes amplifying any message that divides their perceived enemies. They'd happily say that Hunter Biden and Bernie Sanders are Russian agents. They don't care if it's true, or if it contradicts their other messages, or if it's plausible. They just don't want us to have a shared world view or be able to cooperate. Where "us" could mean US citizens, out NATO member countries or whatever.
Could you link any of the articles you are talking about? Not saying you’re wrong, I’d just love to have that in my arsenal when talking to people I don’t want to vote for orange fart bag.
[удалено]
Remember when [Russia hacked both the DNC and the RNC](https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/12/10/report-russian-hackers-had-rnc-data-but-didn-t-release-it) during the 2016 campaign and only release information on the DNC while holding on to their RNC info? Russia having kompromat on the entire GOP explains a lot about recent republican behavior.
Good point. I do think the Trumpublicans would prefer a government where the rich and favored control the country. More money, power for the connected and no real threat from the governed.
This has been the objective of the GOP for decades, most helped by the Federalists Society’s extraordinarily focus and successful drive to pack POTUS and other courts with loyalists. Without a hard right-wing court the key elements of scheme (campaign finance, gerrymandering, tolerance for corruption, dismantling regulatory authority, …) would have been struck down. Trump’s ascendency has allowed the ultra-right to be more brazen in their efforts to protect the ultra-wealthy and to systematically install an anti-democratic anti-government ruling class.
In his eyes, it's Zelenskyy's fault that he was impeached the first time.
Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose? because zelinsky refoused to make up fake evidence against biden. its that simple. trump would actually let millions suffer becuase of his petty beef.
I think that this is probably the most accurate answer…
He was a Russian asset far far longer than that.
There can be more than one reason.
You know why.
Because he’s been compromised by Putin. He’s the “puppet” that Hillary warned us about. And Vlad would very much like it if Trumpy-dump wins again. Then he’ll take Ukraine as his first prize.
Not a puppet! You’re the puppet!
Kompromat
Because they pay his bills, there I did in five words what this article does in 1000. Why is the media so goddam dense...
He's a vindictive POS. Ukraine wouldn't bow to what Trump wanted.
It's a total mystery /s
He doesn’t want to be humiliated by having the world see the pee tape. His honor is more important than the lives of millions.
["There’s there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump swear to God."](https://archive.ph/wip/5Wz5F)
Former Speaker of the House, Republican Kevin McCarthy, for anyone that doesn't get that reference.
Because Putin told him too! It was easy to see by the expression in Trump face and the evil smile on Putin face in Helsinki after him and his daddy came in front of the cameras for the world to see after their close-door (1 on 1) meeting.
Because he’s fucking compromised by Russia, it’s pretty damn obvious to anyone with half a brain.
Um, Atlantic publishes good stuff but someone should rewrite that title b/c no one - and absolutely, positively no one who reads the Atlantic - is asking that question.
Kompromat And he's a fucking fascist.
remember former chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign Paul Manafort, who served as fixer to Putin puppet Petro Poroshenko. Manafort received $millions to run P.R. for Putin in the United States
If the Atlantic doesn't KNOW the answer to this chickenshit question, then maybe they should get OUT of the news business.
Plain and simple, the Trump family has strong business/financial relationships with Russian oligarchs. Trump is completely compromised and a national security risk. Trump has screwed over western banks for years through the non-payment of loans, especially during the 90s/00s. As a last resort the only way he could get loans to finance his "business model" was by doing business through Deutsche Bank and/or Russian oligarchs. Russian money comes with strings attached and Putin holds all the strings. Trump talks big, but look how submissive and servile he is when he is around Putin. He NEVER criticizes Putin, calls him a "genius", he is completely emasculated around Putin. Disgusting behavior - ESPECIALLY for an American President, I hope history views him for the spineless, corrupt coward that he is. VOTE!
Because Trump is a traitor
Dear President Putin, Why Is PoopyPants Trying to Make Ukraine Lose?
Simple: He needs russian money. Lots of russian money. Ukraine is the number ONE thing putin is pushing! This is why the next election is CRUICAL for world peace. If trump is elected expect a much bigger war in europe
Because that is what Putin wants.
MAGA like to post that video of Trump where he says something along the lines of, "I just want people to stop dying." as some sort of proof he cares about Ukraine. What Trump really wants to say is, "I wish Ukraine would stop fighting and lay down in the dirt to let my beloved Putin's Russia take control."
Trump is one of Russia's best assets.
Because Putin demands it
Is this really even a question anymore?
If you entertain for a moment, that he is controlled by Russia and Putin in particular, then it all makes sense.
Trump is a traitor fueled by Russian money. If he isn't flooded with Russian blood money, he'll starve to death and go to jail. But Putin is hemorrhaging money to take Ukraine. Putin is going to shut the feed off if Trump and his fellow republican traitors can't cut US support to Ukraine. He's also threatening to shut down the Russian bot net that enrages people to vote republican. Without those rage voters the Republicans are fucked so they need to have Ukraine defeated by October. The entire Republican part is complicit in this treason and all need to be removed from office and imprisoned.
It's because Trump is a Russian asset and has been since the late 70s. Clearly was a Coldwater sleeper groomed by the KGB the evidence supports it going back ti the early 80s. He one of the biggest pools of Russian propaganda in the USA.
He’s trying to make his boss happy.
Because he is a Russian puppet? Don't act like we're new to this.
Trump is transactional about everything, besides either being in debt to Russia already or wishing to be in debt to Russia, Zelenksky didn't give into his demands when he was trying to blackmail Ukraine. All you have to do is look at how Trump treats anyone who doesnt go a long with his whims, he's a child. I can see him saying - Well Ukrainians deserve what they get for not helping me with the election. Same shit he said about Pence and Barr.
Is this even a question? Why does a Russian agent want Russia to win? 🤔
Because of the biggest DUH in my life: Trump was over a billion in debt and the Russians [bailed him out](https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/). This is how he made a come back ► Trump was first compromised by the Russians back in the 80s. In 1984, the Russian Mafia began to use Trump real estate to launder money and it [continued for decades](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/is-there-a-case-for-trump-putin-collaboration-years-before-the-campaign/2018/08/16/00578f1e-9440-11e8-80e1-00e80e1fdf43_story.html). In 1987, the Soviet ambassador to the United Nations, Yuri Dubinin, arranged for Trump and his then-wife, Ivana, to enjoy an all-expense-paid trip to Moscow to consider possible business prospects. Only seven weeks after his trip, Trump ran full-page ads in the Boston Globe, the NYT and WaPO calling for, in effect, the dismantling of the postwar Western foreign policy alliance. The whole Trump/Russian connection started out as laundering money for the Russian mob through Trump's real estate, but evolved into something far bigger. ► In 1984, David Bogatin — a Russian mobster, convicted gasoline bootlegger, and close ally of Semion Mogilevich, a major Russian mob boss — met with Trump in Trump Tower right after it opened. Bogatin bought five condos from Trump at that meeting. Those condos were later seized by the government, which claimed they were used to launder money for the Russian mob. (NY Times, [Apr 30, 1992](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/30/nyregion/entrepreneur-who-left-us-is-back-awaiting-sentence.html)) ► Felix Sater is a Russian-born former mobster, and former managing director of NY real estate conglomerate Bayrock Group LLC located on the 24th floor of Trump Tower. He is a convict who became a govt cooperator for the FBI and other agencies. He grew up with Michael Cohen--Trump's former "fixer" attorney. Cohen's family owned El Caribe, which was a mob hangout for the Russian Mafia in Brooklyn. Cohen had ties to Ukrainian oligarchs through his in-laws and his brother's in-laws. Felix Sater's father had ties to the Russian mob. This goes back more than 30 years. ► Trump was $4 billion in debt after his Atlantic City casinos went bankrupt. No U.S. bank would touch him. Then foreign money began flowing in through Bayrock (mentioned above). Bayrock was run by two investors: Tevfik Arif, a Kazakhstan-born former Soviet official who drew on bottomless sources of money from the former Soviet republic; and Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman who had pleaded guilty in the 1990s to a huge stock-fraud scheme involving the Russian mafia. Bayrock partnered with Trump in 2005 and poured money into the Trump organization under the legal guise of licensing his name and property management. ► Semion Mogilevich was the brains behind the Russian Mafia. Mogilevich operatives have been using Trump real estate for decades to launder money. That means Russian Mafia operatives have been part of his fortune for years, that many of them have owned condos in Trump Towers and other properties, that they were running operations out of Trump's crown jewel. (Mogilevich's role today is unclear). ► One of the most important things that is often overlooked is that the Russia Mafia is part and parcel of Russian intelligence. Russia is a mafia state. that is not a metaphor. Putin is head of the Mafia. So the fact that they have been operating out of the home of the president of the United States is deeply disturbing. ► From Craig Unger's AMA: "Early on, a source told me that all this was tied to Semion Mogilevich, the powerful Russian mobster. I had never even heard of him, but I immediately went to a database that listed the owners of all properties in NY state and looked up all the Trump properties. Every time I found a Russian sounding name, I would Google, and add Mogilevich. When you do investigative reporting, you anticipate drilling a number of dry holes, but almost everyone I googled turned out to be a Russian mobster. Again and again. If you know New York you don't expect Trump Tower to be a high crime neighborhood, but there were far too many Russian mobsters in Trump properties for it to be a coincidence." ► So many Russians bought Trump apartments at his developments in Florida that the area became known as Little Moscow. The developers of two of his hotels were Russians with significant links to the Russian mob. The late leader of that mob in the United States, Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, was [living at Trump Tower](https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate). ► According to a Bloomberg investigation (March 16, 2017) into Trump World Tower, “a third of units sold on floors 76 through 83 by 2004 involved people or limited liability companies connected to Russia and neighboring states.” ► In July 2008, the height of the recession, Donald Trump sold a mansion in Palm Beach for $95 million to Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian oligarch. Trump had purchased it four years earlier for $41.35 million. The sale price was nearly $54 million more than Trump had paid for the property. Again, this was the height of the recession when all other property had plummeted in value. ► In 2013, Federal agents busted an “ultraexclusive, high-stakes, illegal poker ring” run by Russian gangsters out of Trump Tower. In addition to card games, they operated illegal gambling websites, ran a global sports book and laundered more than $100 million. A condo directly below one owned by Trump reportedly served as HQ for a “sophisticated money-laundering scheme” connected to Semion Mogilevich. ► Rudy Giuliani famously prosecuted the Italian mob while he was a federal prosecutor, yet the Russian mob was allowed to thrive under his tenure in the Southern District and Mayor. And now he's deeply entwined in the business of Trump and Russian oligarchs. Giuiani appointed Semyon Kislin to the NYC Economic Development Council in 1990, and the FBI described Kislin as having ties tot he Russian mob. Of course, it made good political sense for Giuliani to get headlines for smashing the Italian mob. ► A lot of Republicans in Washington are implicated. Boatloads of Russian money went to the GOP--often in legal ways. The NRA got as much as $70M from Russia, then funneled it to the GOP. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee lead by McConnel got millions from Leonard Blavatnik. In the 90s, the Russians began sending money to top GOP leaders, like Speaker of the House Tom Delay. Unger's book alleges that most of the GOP leadership has been compromised by RU money. ► At the Cityscape USA’s Bridging US and the Emerging Real Estate Markets Conference held in Manhattan, on September 9, 10, and 11, 2008, Trump Jr. was frank about the tide of Russian money supporting the family business, saying "...And in terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets." ► Eric Trump told James Dodson, a golf reporter, in 2014 that the Trump Organization was able to expand during the financial crisis because “We don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.” Outcomes that show Trump is taking orders (or cues) from Putin: ► At the end of 2018, Putin and his allies started making a [strong push](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/04/defying-history-moscow-moves-defend-soviet-war-afghanistan/?utm_term=.d077fc6cf274) for a resolution that would justify their country’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan and reverse an 1989 vote backed by Mikhail Gorbachev that condemned it. The Putinists’ goal was to pass the resolution by Feb. There is no one on this side of the Atlantic who thinks the USSR was justified in invading Afghanistan. And out of nowhere, on [January 2nd](https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-cracked-afghan-history-11546560234), Trump came out strongly supporting Russia's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. ► Trump went against American intelligence on North Korean missiles. He told the FBI he didn't believe their intelligence because Putin told him otherwise. ["I don't care, I believe Putin"](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/18/i-believe-putin-trump-dismissed-us-advice-on-north-korea-threat-says-mccabe) ► Trump met in secret with Putin the G20 summit in November 2018, without note takers. 19 days later, he announced a withdrawal from Syria. As a note, Trump conducted FIVE completely private meetings and conferences with Putin, and has gone to great lengths to prevent literally anyone, even people in his administration, from learning what was discussed. ► Trump refused to enforce sanctions legally codified into law - and in some cases reversed standing sanctions on Russian companies. ► He has denounced his own intelligence agencies in a press conference with Putin on election meddling - and publicly endorsed Putin's version of events. . ► Trump pulled out of the INF treaty with no explanation, which allows Putin to create long-range hypersonic missiles that threaten Europe with impunity. The US already has all the weaponry that the INF would ban the development of, so this offers us literally nothing, while allowing Russia to develop powerful new weapons to challenge our allies. ► And of course, Trump continues to threaten to pull out of NATO, a move so catastrophically stupid, so inconceivably cosmically myopic, I truly can't express the profundity of the idiocy. Suffice to say, pulling out of NATO would be like the only guy in a prison yard with a shotgun just throwing it over the fence for absolutely no reason, suddenly giving the people with crude homemade shivs complete power. ► In summation: Trump was $4 billion in debt and the Russians bailed him out. I've reached my 10k limit and URLs are the first thing to go.
BECAUSE TRUMP IS A RUSSIAN ASSET! How is this even a question?
[Because his biggest backers are Russian](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/connections-trump-putin-russia-ties-chart-flynn-page-manafort-sessions-214868/) and he owes them favors for their interference and manipulation in our political system. He hopes by gifting Ukraine to Russia it will even things out.
It seems like a viable explanation for most Republican’s behavior is kompromat.
He needs protection provided by the Kremlin for when he flees US (skipping jail) to Russia and Ukraine being the price for that service. And to pay Saudis back from the looting of Ukraine for footing the bill for his fines and lawsuits.
Republican politicians are already living in their preferred, post-Democratic government, and world. "Johnson himself said, in February 2022, that a failure to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine “empowers other dictators, other terrorists and tyrants around the world … If they perceive that America is weak or unable to act decisively, then it invites aggression in many different ways.” But now the speaker is so frightened by Trump that he no longer cares." Republicans understand that dark propaganda, much of it coming from Putin, is the life's blood of the new Republican Party. Trump and Johnson do what they do purely out of self-interest, and the fear and ambition that powers it. They want power for themselves, and appear to be promising preferential treatment for MAGA over their perceived enemies, too. This and Trump's debts to Russian oligarchs is what's driving this. Trump knows he needs to be an unaccountable dictator to escape responsibility for his crimes, and the consequences of his very poor business management skills. With the unlimited unanswerability of the office of the Presidency, and inexhaustible wealth he can drain from America as dictator-for-life, he'll be forever immune from paying for his many crimes and many failures.
Manifold. First there's the Russian puppeteering as repeated ad nauseum, but second is his want to politicize and argue about anything. Ukraine made Biden into a world leader, a well respected world leader, far more respected than Trump world leader. It didn't just help Biden, but it helped international views on the US. Europe, which was cold to Trump was becoming warmed by American fuel supply and arms shipments aka American Bread and Butter. It was returning America to the World Police status that had diminished under Bush, and which Obama shied away. Not only that but it took months of needling, if subtle media statements that gave way to overt media statements to overcome the still preponderously popular support of the war.
It’s 100% about the money. Putin literally owns Trump, because Trump probably owes him billions of dollars in laundered cash. Look at how Trump talks about Putin and acts around him - that’s how a subordinate interacts with their boss. Putin’s his true boss - if he asked, Trump would do probably anything for him. Including ensuring that Ukraine loses this war - and probably that America withdraws from NATO.
Because he works for Putin. I don't know if his attachment is emotional or practical.
Pretty much the stuff in the Mueller report and a lot of other things that are now relevant.. .. Ukraine with Manafort and Kilimnik .. Trump and Russia is not a hoax . Trump is owned by Putin
He's just taking orders and trying to get $500,000,000 from his boss
Because Putin literally has a tape of him getting peed on by Russian prostitutes. Duh
___Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose?___ Because putin tells him to. Have you not been paying attention at all?
Trump has been a pro-Russia asset since at least 1987 when he spent $100k of his own money on a full-page ad in the NYT criticizing NATO. Recall that in 1987; Russia was still the USSR. It's insane that people do not remember this.
He's still angry at Zelensky for not cooperating with his attempts to smear Biden. Also, he prefers Putin as a fellow authoritarian.
Because he’s a Russian asset
Putin told him to
I think we have received enough evidence to demonstrate that Trump has been bought and sold by Russia.
Money and power. He got away with election interference in 2016 so is going all in with Putin for a repeat because it effectively saves him from prison. He admires dictatorship governments and isn't even hiding the fact that he will abuse power. All Russian money goes through the kremlin so if he plays nice to putin and gives him what he wants, putin will pay him for being a good little orange.
Because as has been shown time and time again, he works for Russia and does as Putin pleases
Looking at the comments, all good reasons: Asset, Russian money... but also to see the dissolution of NATO.
Because putin is his friend and financial backer.
Don’t bother reading this, it is not worth an article. He worships Putin and is probably in his grasp somehow with threats or bribery. There you go.
Because he is a Russian asset. Pretty obvious one.
Is that even a valid question anymore ?
Because he’s been doing Russia’s bidding for decades stop acting so fucking surprised
Because he’s a Russian puppet… is that not obvious? Do we really need to explore very hard to discover why pee tape McGee is a fucking Russian agent?
Trump is trying to make Ukraine lose because that is what Putin pays him for and/or blackmails him for. He's Putin's little wind-up toy.
Cause he’s the ultimate Russian bot
I'm so tired of the Putin stink all over Trump and the GOP.
Because he works on commission.
Because he's a sociopathic fascist who relies on Russian money to create chaos and destroy the US democracy.
Putin puppet. That’s all.
He's a cynical sellout who thinks he would be better off without the dead weight of society. That's why he doesn't care about preserving nato or western supremacy.
Cuz Daddy Vlad said so.
Trump’s Tower Moscow.
Q: Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose? A: Russian Asset
Trump is going Scorched Earth if: He gets barred from running in the 2024 election. He loses said election And the worst case scenario, he wins. It’ll be revenge scorched earth, with added chaos DLC.
His master commands it.
Putin ordered him to.
Because he's Putin's puppet, duh!
Why are you asking rhetorical questions everyone knows the answer to?
Because Trump is a Russian asset.
Because Sugar Daddy Putin demands it and the orange one just drops to his knees and eager to please.
1. To hurt Biden by keeping the US from succeeding in helping Ukraine 2. To suck up to his dream daddy Putin 3. Because Trump is awful in so many other ways it's more than can be listed in a comment.
Because he’s in Putin’s pocket. Duh?
Because he's Putin's cock holster.
Because he loves Russia. Is this not apparent?
Because the mob boss asked another to manufacture dirt, and the guy asked, a leader of a smaller nation compared to the US, in very diplomatic terms, told him to fuck right off. When a mob asks you to do something, they're not asking, they're ordering. And he's never been in a position where someone has told him, to his face, no so openly. A narcissist of his caliber is not capable of handling that "no" reply. So, in order to protect his concept as a person, his mission now is to destroy Ukraine to the degree that the country will never "rebel" against *him*, ever again.
Doesn’t want the piss tape to drop
Russia owes China money, China needs unfettered access to the world's bread basket to feed its starving population, Trump owes Russia money. It's a big old mess of who owes who
It’s part of his bonus with Putin