I never thought I'd see the US aligning with Russia

[VolcanoJapan]

The US appear under Trump to be aligning with Putin and Russia more and more.

What was until recently referred to as our greatest allie is moving close to Russia in many ways, carving up Ukraine for Russia, trade deals with Russia.

It's bizarre.

Aibu to think it's bizarre or was this always coming when trump was elected?

For the Ukraine invasion, he's attempting to change the history saying Ukraine started it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c62e2158mkpt

New energy deal with the US and Russia?

www.politico.eu/article/russia-us-saudi-arctic-energy-rdif-ukraine-russia-capital/

And in the Americas, Trump has threatened tariffs on the United States' bordering neighbors, Mexico and Canada, despite various critical trade pipelines that the countries rely on each other for. Trump also halted funding for foreign aid and efforts to support democracy around the world.

What's unfolding because of these actions is a world in which the United States' influence will wane, said Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and director of policy planning under President George W. Bush, in an interview with Morning Edition.

Trump is operating as though the U.S. has "special rights"
The world order that Trump inherited wasn't perfect, Haass said, but it was rules-based. Countries respected each other's sovereignty and avoided acquiring territory by force, he noted, adding that there were rules governing trade and investment and rules protecting human rights.
Though the Trump administration is just a month old, "we're seeing a world in which great powers, including the United States, have special rights … to decide the fate of others. They have the ability, in some cases, to take what it is that they want."
The United States is clearly asserting this in the Western Hemisphere, particularly with the Panama Canal, Canada, Mexico and Greenland, Haass said. Trump also seems willing to give Russia a greater hand in Europe.
"We don't have any clear indications yet about China in the Asia-Pacific, but clearly we are moving away from the world with the United States in tandem with its allies — allies of 75, 80 years in many cases would work together in terms of building all sorts of organizations and principles to govern international relations," Haass said.

The US will be different under Trump no doubt.

Stalin and Hitler all over again .. and history tells us how that one ends.

Trump actively despises “western values”, hence him banning books, talk about arresting journalists, accessing sensitive information on “enemies of state” (in this case people who prosecuted those who took part in insurrection), nationalistic ferver, removing any people who are in a position to hold them to account (DOGEs current job)

There is a great podcast on Dictators, and they talk about the “Dictators Playbook”, and that is what Trump is executing.

I guess his ultimate step will be changes to the Constitution, so he stays in power forever.

And I fully expect to see political prisoners.

It's frightening, him and Putin about to carve up the world between them or will they have fallen out by the middle of next week and normal service will resume...

It's awful. Two mad men in charge of very powerful nations.

It's been like watching a slow car crash but this was spelled out very clearly by Trump before the election. He said he admired dictators - I'm surprised people are surprised.

Good point.

I think the car crash is moving up in speed.

The men he surrounds himself with are similar to him. Very much like Putin who surrounds himself with similar men.

Have you seen Project 25? He's very chummy with autocrats because he is one. Those crowds punching the air shouting USA! bit off more than they could chew.

No I haven't, I'll have look.

Agreed. Trump has never made any secret of his liking for Putin. Both are dictators really. Those who elected Trump can expect to see their "democracy" that they so admire moving more and more towards a dictatorship.

I do hope that Starmer and all other western leaders (Australia, the EU etc.) have been making some plans regarding how to deal with him properly. His threats about Canada, Greenland and Panama seem serious. Then there is his proposal to take over Gaza and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East!

He's a serious threat to world security and any "special relationship" must now be in shreds and consigned to history. For now, until America is able to vote in a proper president rather than a despotic twat.

Sigh

"They" could have been at the table
"They" bombed

Language games by A-holes.

Its kind of a worry to Alaska, Texas, California, Florida if the sitting commander in chief is willing to hand over Sovereign lands

And elections, hard to organise poll booths in war zones.

The USA is not a stable country any more.

They had a failed uprising 4 years ago, failed because the leaders had not gained enough support from the general population (and the muppet in the Bison hat was not anyway iconic).

Then for the next 4 years the elected leaders failed to carry the public with them.

Creating an external threat or common enemy is a way to create internal cohesion.

I fear that Europe’s ability to tackle this terrifying threat is limited - the divisions were seen many years ago through Brexit 😢🤬. They are frightening men but many are cheering them on without really understanding what they’re doing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c977njnvq2do.amp

Thanks I'll read it.

The opening paragraphs

"It is a 900-page policy "wish list", a set of proposals that would expand presidential power and impose an ultra-conservative social vision.

During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly disavowed Project 2025, after a backlash over some of its more radical ideas.

But he has nominated several of its authors to fill key government positions, and many of his initial executive orders closely follow proposals outlined in the document."

YANBU @VolcanoJapan. The lies are coming thick and fast.

I'm not sure Trump will last 4 years. There are multiple protests in the US. Much of what he is trying to do is illegal or dangerous. Trump voter regret is spreading quicker than Covid.🙈

Wow

Government
Project 2025 proposes that the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, be placed under direct presidential control - a controversial idea known as "unitary executive theory"

One man controlling everything. Now where have we seen that before 🤔

The USA was always going to let Ukraine go once it had done its job of bloodying Putin's nose, but the scale, scope and speed that Trump is moving along with this is quite something to behold. Also has his trademark spiteful/petty language - he really is quite graceless.

But, cutting through the rhetoric ramping up all over the place here, this war does need to end and it was always going to mean giving up the Donbass. The Ukrainian fighters involved in that region have long been problematic - Ukraine took them on to the state army payroll for expediency but long term it's going to be protracted and nasty there whoever gets to nominally "win" the area.

I voted YABU.
Because the writing was on the tin.
From the Age da 25 to comments both from him to Musk. Or the way Mush meddled the elections (Remember the million dollar ‘lottery’?)
It was there in the way he reacted to him not being re-elected too.
Plus ofc, Russian interference has been right from the start. Incl currently with some ‘advisors’

Meanwhile he is now acting like you’d expect a supremacist to act. Loitering everything incl other countries (the so called agreement with Russia is basically an agreement for him to loiter all Ukrainian ressources). Expecting everyine to bow to him etc…

Maybe the U.K. should start wakening up and see what’s going on. Like meddling of Russia with Brexit, musk giving away huge sum to Farage etc etc…
Because the same is going yo happen here if we’re not careful.

Trump disgusts me afresh every day. YANBU.

He was clearly under Putin’s influence during his first term so this shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. Those who voted for it could and should have known what they were voting for.

Reform are equally clearly under Russia’s influence so their voters couldn’t be less patriotic if they tried.

It's all about the money. And who do you think helped pay for all the bots and disinfo that helped elect him in the first place?

It was no secret that Putin was just waiting for Trump to get back into power.