A Question For My Trump-Supporting Friends

Is an authoritarian regime that bows down to Russia the government you want?

Vladimir Putin Is Our Enemy

Putin is an evil man and a dictator who has had journalists, critics, and political rivals executed by bullets, poisonings, mysterious falls out of windows, and by blowing up an airplane inflight. And this is the man that Donald Trump idolizes.

A Bit of History

Russia was our ally during WWII when we had the common enemy of Nazi Germany — a nation that invaded sovereign nations, thus sparking the war. After defeating Hitler, we were enemies again during the Cold War; this was back in the day when American baby boomers practiced hiding under our school desks, so we were prepared in case a nuclear bomb was sent our way. We fought against Russian-supported troops in Korea and Vietnam. We were on opposite sides of conflicts throughout the developing world: most notably in Latin America and Africa. The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, following Russia’s disastrous war in Afghanistan (Russia’s Vietnam).

The former Soviet states could not wait to gain independence from Russia

Why?

Because life under Russian dominance sucks.

How do I know?

Because I lived in Russia for six weeks (three weeks in 2002 and three weeks in 2004), and I lived in Ukraine for three weeks in 2002.

In addition, I have Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in European history with a focus on Russia, (thank you Dr. Paul Burns).

Finally, I have family connections to the region; my Jewish grandparents emigrated from Odesa, Ukraine, to New York in 1911. Ukraine was one of the first places I learned to find on a map as a child.

Of the 22 countries I have visited, Russia is the last place I would ever want to live. While the pre-Soviet architecture is beautiful and the Russian people are lovely, the vibe there is oppressive. Russian adults never smile in public, because you can never let your guard down. You can’t trust your neighbors or colleagues. There is no freedom of speech or freedom of the press. Propaganda reigns. It is a bleak and suffocating atmosphere.

During the 20th Century, our conflict with Russia was a clash of philosophy: communism vs. capitalism. Now it is a clash between authoritarianism and democracy.

The Russo-Ukrainian War

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Russia is the clear villain. Russia caused the war by invading Ukraine, a sovereign nation. Russia has raped Ukrainian women and kidnapped Ukrainian children. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died, and the property damage has been immense.

On February 28, 2025, the Trump administration shamed itself by trying to bully President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into signing an agreement that would give Russia all the Ukrainian land they have stolen (Crimea and the Donbas region) and would give the United States Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. This would have been a lose/lose deal for Ukraine, who was denied any guarantees against future Russian aggression. Reminiscent of the Munich Agreement in 1938 — when Britain, France, and Italy allowed Germany to annex the German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland) without inviting the Czechs to the negotiations — Ukraine was not invited to the preliminary talks in Saudi Arabia. Within six months of the Munich Agreement, Germany took the rest of Czechoslovakia, as Russia would have most likely done to Ukraine. As this treaty would have rewarded Russia for their deplorable behavior, without providing any security guarantees to Ukraine, it would have been stupid for Zelenskyy to accept that deal.

Our Obligation to Ukraine

The United States, Britain, and Russia promised “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 in exchange for Ukraine giving up what was the third-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons at the time. As part of the agreement, the United States assured Ukraine that if Russia were to violate these terms, we “would take a strong interest and respond.” However, “Washington did not promise unlimited support.” When Russia invaded Crimea and sent troops to the Donbas region in 2014, the U.S. did nothing. Only when massive Russian forces rushed toward Kiev, did America finally step up and get involved. No wonder Zelenskyy is currently asking for security guarantees. If Ukraine had kept those nukes, they would not be in their current situation. 

What are our choices?

We can watch as Ukraine and then all the other former Soviet Republics get gobbled up by Russia.

We can ignore the situation and leave it to the Europeans to support Ukraine on their own and save a lot of money.

We can stand up for democracy by continuing to support Ukraine.

Many Americans are against spending any more money to support Ukraine. Yet, it is better to spend money than American lives. Ukraine is holding back the tide of Russian aggression that will eventually spread to the rest of Europe. Russia gaining this kind of power and influence will irreversibly alter global political dynamics.

If Russia succeeds in dominating Ukraine, it will send a message to other authoritarian states — like China — and the globe will become a real-life game of RISK with Russia taking over Europe and the Middle East, China taking over the Pacific, and the United States taking over Canada and Greenland. Latin America and Africa will be up for grabs and will probably go to China who is currently reaching out to nations who have lost all the humanitarian aid that Elon Musk and DOGE have cut off from them.

Trump and Russia, Russia, Russia

It is clear that Donald Trump is a pawn of Vladimir Putin. Any doubts were erased at the 2018 meeting in Helsinki, Finland, when in response to accusations that Russia interfered in our 2016 election Trump said, “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.” This was after U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Russia did indeed interfere via “a state-authorized campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media.” 

Now, Donald Trump is attempting to institute an authoritarian regime in our nation. He is violating the Constitution by stripping power from Congress (with the cooperation of Republicans), creating a military that is loyal to him and not the Constitution by firing generals and admirals who are not his sycophants, and ruling by decree with one executive order after another. Trump likes to portray himself as a king. He told a Christian audience that after the 2024 election, “We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gunna have to vote.” Finally, Trump keeps asserting his interest in running for a third presidential term. If ANY Democrat behaved as Trump has done, the Republicans would be up in arms.

A Party of Bootlickers

Why are elected Republicans kissing Donald Trump’s ass? Aside from threats to have any dissenters “primaried” out of office, one can only assume that Trump has a lot of dirt on them that would ruin their careers and bring about public humiliation. It has also been suggested that Republicans fear physical harm to themselves and their families from the January 6 crowd if they dare cross Trump. As it stands, elected Republicans are complicit in the actions of the Trump regime and the attempted destruction of American democracy.

Changing Alliances

We are shifting our allegiance from our traditional democratic allies in Western Europe and Canada for an alliance with authoritarian Russia. This is insane, and Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave.

A Pew research poll show that many Americans are comfortable with the idea of an authoritarian government in the United States. This means they would be okay with giving up many of their freedoms for promised stability. There are other consequences to authoritarianism. In these states, people live in fear of their own government. Look at China, Iran, Cuba, and Russia — for example.

In many interviews, Americans express their elation that foreign governments finally respect America again under the leadership of Donald Trump. The truth is that foreign governments have no respect for President Trump. Other nations fear him due to his constant lies, expectations of flattery, and his propensity for outrageous statements — like threats to leave NATO and annex Canada, Gaza, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. The Trump presidency is causing a rift between longtime allies, as evidenced by the Trump regime siding with Russia, Israel, and North Korea in a U.N. resolution on February 24, 2025, that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for a return of Ukrainian territory. This was the first time since WWII that the United States has sided with Russia instead of our European allies.

The time to act is NOW!

I implore you, take a break from social media and read an actual book about the history of the Cold War and about life in Russia and other authoritarian regimes.

This is NOT the life we want in America. If the U.S. drops out of NATO, we will no longer be the leader of the free world. We will have given up our leadership.