I don’t care how conservative you are. Abandoning Ukraine to Putin spits on everything Reagan stood for.
—Adam Kinzinger
By J.C. Bruce
The Bible tells us that Judas Iscariot sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, thus rendering his name synonymous with treachery.
Now comes Donald Trump, who just sold out Ukraine for 12 hours’ worth of diesel fuel.
Judas was a better businessman. His shekels at least equaled the compensation one would receive if an ox gored his slave—about four months’ wages for a common laborer.
Trump has announced he’s struck a deal with his boy-crush, Vladimir Putin, to buy 300,000 tons of diesel fuel—allegedly to lower gas prices here at home.
Unsurprisingly, the man who bankrupted his casinos isn’t mathing very well.
As economist Paul Krugman notes, 300,000 tons of Russian oil is a bit over 2 million barrels. Americans consume 4 million barrels of diesel every single day.
In other words, Trump’s great deal got us a half-day’s worth of fuel—only if you assume Russia has it, can deliver it, and if we actually need it, which we don’t.
In exchange, Trump lifted economic sanctions—or at least he claims to have done so—on Public Enemy No. 1 in the world, the rogue nation, run by a murderer, that has invaded neighboring Ukraine, which every decent Western nation on the planet is trying to help.
Said Krugman of all this:
Trump is betraying an embattled democracy, demonstrating our faithlessness to the whole world, seriously damaging whatever is left of America’s leadership in the world, for the sake of maybe 12 hours’ worth of diesel. Really?
Some believe he’s also breaking the law, specifically the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, which bans importing energy products of Russian origin. And possibly provisions of the Lindsey Graham Sanctions Act, which Trump signed into law last month.
For sure, he is betraying the legacy of his own political party.
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman and member of the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, noted on social media this week:
I don’t care how conservative you are. Abandoning Ukraine to Putin spits on everything Reagan stood for.
Tax cuts and party loyalty cannot excuse this betrayal. If your principles mean anything, this alone should cost Trump your support.
Grow a spine. Some things matter more than the GOP.
Kinsinger sacrificed his congressional seat—as did several other Republicans, including Liz Cheney—to defy Trump and vote to impeach him. So, he knows something about political courage.
About the same time that Trump was stabbing Ukraine in the back—and demanding that the embattled nation get a new president, one more inclined to throw in the towel than Volodymyr Zelenskyy—he also announced out of the blue that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking one another’s energy infrastructure.
After all, what’s the point of all this betrayal if Ukrainian drones are going to blow up Russia’s remaining refineries?
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump posted:
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!”
This, apparently, was news to both Ukraine and Russia because the shooting never stopped.
When a reporter cornered Trump on this, he replied—and I am not making this up:
“They agreed. You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree.’ That’s why.”
In other words, because he said it and heard himself say it, therefore it has to be true.
Let us pause for a moment to consider the implications of a mind like that possessing the nuclear codes.
We are in clear-and-present-danger territory here, well beyond just the issue of betrayal.
Looking for a reason to vote? This is it.
Midterm winds blowing toward Democrats
With midterm election day just weeks away, respected election analyst Charlie Cook has declared Democrats’ odds of retaking the House a “done deal” and winning the Senate “very realistic.” CNN’s Harry Enten has said that intense voter backlash to Donald Trump may result in a historic midterm Senate defeat for the GOP in the deep-red state of Kansas – a feat Democrats have not accomplished in 100 years.
All indicators are blinking blue – a Democratic sweep in the House and maybe even a narrow path to Senate control.
Historically, the best predictors of midterm success are the president’s approval rating and generic ballot polling, and they all point to solid Democratic gains in 2026. Donald Trump’s approval ratings have cratered to historic lows…
With each passing day, The Cook Political Report shifts numerous House and Senate races toward Democrats, with its most likely scenario showing Democrats picking up 9 to 19 House seats or more— enough to flip the chamber.
This is the beginning of Florida pollster Mark Schulman’s latest column. It’s worth a full read, and you can find it here:
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J.C. Bruce
Trump's next book, The Art of the Steal, is available now at all major book sellers! Get your copy, on sale today for $999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999!