These Are Donald Trump's Wars Now

Trump promised to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine on day one. He lied.

Graphic by Abdelafatah Mukhtar

These are now Donald Trump’s wars. His and Putin’s in Ukraine. His and Netanyahu’s in Gaza. Sure, Trump says he’s very unhappy with each of these men. But, as ever, it’s his actions, not his words, that speak the truth.

Europe has been struggling for more than a decade with an expansionist Russia. After successfully crushing independence movements in Chechnya, Moldova, and Georgia, Putin attacked and annexed Crimea and launched a secret war in eastern Ukraine. America and our allies saw Russia’s covert war as a threat to global peace and stability, and an attack on democracy itself. Donald Trump, however, saw only an opportunity to shake down Ukraine’s leader for dirt on Joe Biden. That led to his first impeachment in 2019.

Then, in 2022, Putin launched the biggest invasion in Europe since World War II. The United States, and democracies around the world, stood firmly in opposition to Russia’s cruel and unprovoked assault of an inchoate democracy in Europe.

During the Biden years, America defended Ukraine with weapons, intelligence, and by leading a coalition to sanction Russia and support Ukraine. As soon as Trump returned, that began to change. First, he invited Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Oval Office only to berate him on live TV, calling him ungrateful and reminding him that he didn’t “hold the cards,” before ordering him to leave the building. Trump then slowed the flow of weapons to Ukraine, allowing Russia to turn the tide in the war.

Then Trump invited Vladimir Putin to the United States. He gave Putin a far warmer welcome. U.S. troops were there to roll out a red carpet. The two met for a summit that Trump said would result in a peace deal. Instead, the meeting resulted in Trump switching sides in the war, now calling Ukraine the aggressor and parroting Putin’s war justifications. The alarmed leaders of our European allies dropped everything and rushed to Washington for a hastily called follow-up summit to limit the damage.

---

---

Europe has stepped up to increase its support for Ukraine. While Donald Trump says he is unhappy with Putin, he continues to blame the war on Ukraine, and he continues to take actions that allow Putin to grab more territory. In Congress, Republicans who have not once crossed Donald Trump are considering how to push for more sanctions on Russia. Trump is pushing back. This week, standing next to the Prime Minister of Britain, a member of that coalition that Joe Biden drew together, Trump refused to agree to additional sanctions and instead claimed to have ended seven wars.

Against our allies, a against his own toadies in Congress, Trump stands with Putin. Against the wishes of the American people, this is now Putin’s and Trump’s war.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Israel is destroying an entire city. The war in the Middle East is no longer a measured or even a moral response to the horror of the October 7^th attack. It is now a cruel, greedy, and lawless land grab. And the center of that land grab? The White House. Donald Trump recently chaired an appalling meeting about the future of Gaza.

Jared Kushner was there. That’s the president’s son-in-law, who got a huge investment from the Saudi’s and promised not to be involved in government as a result. But there he was, back in the White House, along with administration officials, officials from Israel, and Tony Blair. They were discussing the formation of a private Trust to redevelop Gaza. It wasn’t a humanitarian conversation; it was a commercial one. The Washington Post published the presentation used to guide the conversation at the White House. One slide said, “$320B ‘Asset Value’ by year ten will create significant value for all involved stakeholders.” Another identified a way to reduce the Trust’s investment was to “increase the number of Gazans who volunteer to leave.”

Donald Trump says he’s very unhappy with Bibi Netanyahu. But the fact is, Trump could stop the destruction in Gaza and end this war but will not do so because he wants that real estate.

Gaza is Netanyahu’s and Trump’s war.

Americans, by huge margins, want Russia out of Ukraine and Israel out of Gaza. We want the bloodshed to end. Donald Trump knew that last year. That’s why he told us he would end both wars on day one when he campaigned for office. But that promise was a lie.

The cost of wars is incalculable. As is the magnitude of the stain on America’s reputation.

---