Can America Ever Overcome the Shame of Trump?
A Saturday Prompt
Never forget February 28, 2025, a tragic day when an American president and his vice-president berated and betrayed a democratic ally in the midst of a barbaric war with Russia. Donald Trump’s abusive, demeaning behavior in our Oval Office—in the company of a genuine hero and defender of democracy like Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky—may be the most disgraceful public behavior by any president in our history. It’s hard to see how this grotesque stain will ever wash away.
JD Vance triggered the likely planned assault in front of the television cameras by calling Ukraine’s president “disrespectful,” telling him “you should be thanking the president.” Soon Trump was shouting at Zelensky, telling him that “you’re not really in a good position right now” and “you don’t have the cards right now.”
Ukraine’s leader tried to keep it rational as the aggression mounted. “I'm not playing cards," he replied. “I'm very serious, Mr President. I'm the president in a war.”
But Trump was determined to escalate the conflict. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” he shouted. “You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you. Far more than a lot of people said they should have.”
Vance, meanwhile, was not done with his demand for obedience: “Have you said thank you once, this entire meeting? No.” Answered the Ukrainian leader, “A lot of times. Even today.”
After spewing a series of Kremlin talking points, lies about the scale of American investment and boasting that the war would have ended in two weeks without American equipment, Trump concluded the meeting with this: “You got to be more thankful because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards. But without us, you don’t have any cards.” (You can watch the whole exchange here.)
On a strictly human level, it was sickening to witness the abusive, belittling behavior of Trump and his sidekick Vance. What kind of people—what level of indecency and cruelty does it take—to invite a man in the midst of a war to come to the White House, attack him in front of the cameras and whine that he’s not showing sufficient gratitude? As if these ugly sadists believe he should be kneeling down before them.
On a political and diplomatic level, this televised display alters 80 years of post-WWII diplomacy and alliances. (The media there included a reporter from Russia’s state-owned TASS, but not banned journalists from the Associated Press and Reuters.) And for what? To ally with the murderous thug Vladimir Putin and thereby accelerate his imperialist ambitions that surely extend beyond Ukraine? To turn America, once a democratic beacon to the world, into a pariah state, an outcast among democratic nations and decent people everywhere? What democratic leader will subjugate himself or herself and tolerate being the next target of this despicable man? In this one appalling exchange—intended to force Ukraine’s leader into accepting an impossible ceasefire without any Russian compromises or security guarantees and to lay the predicate for ending American support—Donald Trump abdicated America’s and an American president’s assumed status as leader of the free world.
The response by democratic leaders across Europe and beyond was immediate and clear: We stand with Ukraine. You are not alone. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, summarized the new and heartbreaking reality: “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
And just to separate truth from lies, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised statement after Trump’s Oval Office assault: “There is an aggressor, which is Russia and a people who have suffered aggression, which is Ukraine. You have to respect those who have been fighting since the beginning because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, for their children, and for the security of Europe.” And, he added, “If someone is playing World War III, his name is Vladimir Putin.”
Let’s not doubt that the repercussions of yesterday’s demeaning of a democratically elected leader and his country will spread far and wide. America, now clearly aligned with Putin’s Russia, becomes an unreliable partner for sharing intelligence or efforts to achieve peace and stability. What is the future of NATO if Trump pulls America out? What happens to American military bases embedded in Europe and Asia? In one grotesque moment, Trump has dramatically undermined America’s status and power, making all of us less safe and more uncertain. On this day, it’s hard to see how our nation can overcome this heartbreaking shame.
So what do you think? How do you view yesterday’s events? Is this as seismic as it appears to me? Looking to the future: Can America ever overcome the shame of Trump? In the days ahead, there will be more to say about what it means for America to be turning into a servant of Putin and Russia.
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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They plumb new depths every day, and soil us all. We are the ones who need to care…they will not, ever.
“If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any result whatever, you've beaten them.”- George Orwell, 1984
Steven, This was an obvious setup, a planned confrontation to make headlines. Trump said it himself, when he commented about this making good television. Some might view this as a treasonous act.