Democratic lawmakers rushed to defend Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader was publicly berated by Donald Trump in a disastrous Oval Office meeting.
The US president accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with world war three” while his vice-president, JD Vance, called the Ukrainian leader “disrespectful”, before cutting short talks aimed at kicking off the process of ending Kyiv’s three-year war with Russia.
Zelenskyy abruptly left the White House soon after without signing a rare critical minerals deal with the US that Trump has said is the first step toward a ceasefire agreement that he is seeking to broker between Russia and Ukraine.
I agree. Trump is stupid and easily manipulated. He doesn’t need to be compromised in the way people think. He’s a rich kid with a chip on his shoulder trying to impress Daddy types while stuck in the mindset he’s the most (insert some positive trumpism here) - aka Narcissist.
Very easily manipulated when you know what makes him tick.
There’s a line from the Lioness tv series (S01E06) that rings so true about Trump (but also many modern presidents):
Do you know who’s in this meeting?
Don’t you?
I knew who was in the debrief was at Langley.
Well, it won’t be the President.
Wouldn’t be the President anyway. You don’t plan bus routes with the bus driver. You just tell him where to drive.
Great point about manipulation. Vance triggered him, and while narcissistic and idiotic, Trump was still normal Trump before that. After the whole “thank you” bit, he went off and all he wanted was for Zelenskyy to take his beating and kiss the ring.