Submitted by Renee Parsons<\/p>\n
There was great excitement and sense of anticipation with the November 5<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>re-election of Donald Trump as the country\u2019s first \u2018America First\u2019<\/i> President \u2013 since George Washington. <\/span><\/p>\n With at least two possible wars pending, it was expected that Trump would come into office as a Peace President with a healthy aversion to war. \u00a0 <\/span>He not only promised to end the Ukraine war within his first twenty four hours but to settle the war even before he took office<\/span><\/a> on January 20<\/span>th.<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It was also anticipated that Trump would lighten up on his denunciations of Iran\u2019s domestic nuclear program since Israel has historically denied its possession of a vast nuclear arsenal. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Upon Trump\u2019s inauguration, none of that happened.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Instead of using his legal authority as President, Trump could have ended the Ukraine war on his first day, he wasted his options on \u2018feel good\u2019<\/i> peace talks that allowed Ukraine President Zelensky to employ delaying tactics to the continue the conflict. \u00a0 <\/span>Trump further squandered a presidential opportunity<\/span><\/a> for peace to immediately suspend American weapons, its intel data and financial aid that was already in the Ukraine pipeline. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Familiar with NATO\u2019s history of expansion as it threatened Russian sovereignty, Trump has created an existential crisis<\/span><\/a> in that he did not appear to have a basic Presidential understanding of how to settle the dispute.\u00a0 <\/span>He could have simply stood up and announced an end to the war as he cut off American resources; but he continually allowed peace efforts to bog down in confused negotiations and indecision. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Even after the Zelensky\/Trump Oval Office confrontation, Trump resisted his authority as the country\u2019s Chief Executive Officer to settle the dispute. \u00a0 <\/span>He might have refused to announce that all US funds and weapons were frozen and no longer available to Ukraine yet he remained aloof from delivering an Executive decision to end the war. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Even as the reality that Russia is qualitatively and quantitatively in a position to militarily win the war became undeniable, Trump remained woefully uninformed by his foreign policy staff as he remained hesitant to compel Zelensky to accept a peace deal. \u00a0 <\/span>Instead, Trump frittered his time and energy in nonsensical parade of meaningless interactions with spiteful European leaders who have created a distraction from Trump being able to seriously\u00a0 <\/span>approach a potential end to the conflict.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The crucial moment in an international crisis, however, arrived when a massive drone swarm attack targeted Russian President Putin\u2019s helicopter on a trip to Kursk. \u00a0 <\/span>That attack could have only occurred with some level of professional assistance from a knowledgeable interpretation of sophisticated western intel.\u00a0 <\/span>That intel would have required a scholarly calculation to make a convincing attack on Putin\u2019s helicopter in order to identify the necessary flight data. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Since Trump appears to be one of the least informed Presidents, what he may not have fully understood is that, just prior to the helicopter attack, Ukraine sent 1,400 drones into Russian territory targeting Russian civilians as it shut down Moscow\u2019s airports.\u00a0 <\/span>Russia\u2019s air defense system was effective and defeated the drones as Ukraine drones then attempted to take Putin\u2019s helicopter down on his way to Kursk. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While the US is still supplying weapons to Ukraine, the question is whether Trump knew about an impending attack on Putin\u2019s helicopter and how American expertise may have had a hand in interpretating the complicated helicopter intel.<\/span><\/p>\n In response, the Russians countered with a drone attack on Kiev which elicited a further response from Trump. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Trump responded by referring to \u201cPutin is crazy<\/i>\u201d for allegedly no reason.\u00a0 <\/span>Without considering the implications of Ukraine\u2019s attack on Moscow and a personal assassination\u00a0 <\/span>attack on Putin, Trump continues to rail:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI <\/i>don\u2019t like it<\/i><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not happy with what Putin is doing in Ukraine.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s killing a lot of people and I don\u2019t know what the hell happened to Putin. \u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him.\u00a0 <\/span>we\u2019re in the middle of talking and he is shooting rockets into the middle of Kiev for no reason.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s killing people; \u00a0 <\/span>Something happened to that guy and I\u2019m not happy with what Putin is doing\u2026we\u2019re in the middle of talking and he\u2019s shooting rockets into Kiev\u2026.i\u2019m only trying to put out fires that have started.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n A nearby reporter told Trump that Putin was recently caught in drone attack from Ukraine and that there was a narrowly missed drone attack on Putin\u2019s helicopter on his way to Kursk. \u00a0 <\/span>Trump\u2019s only response\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI haven\u2019t heard that; maybe that would be a reason, I don\u2019t know. <\/i>\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There is, however, no indication that Trump ever followed up on an assassination attempt on Putin and experience with Trump raises whether the President is receiving all the need-to-know\u00a0 <\/span>information from his administrative or foreign policy staff – or is he being frozen out and not getting the most critical information any President in a time of war would require.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In response, Russia has announced there will now either be a \u2018peace on our terms\u2019<\/i> or there will be a Russian \u2018\u2019battlefield military victory\u2019<\/i><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n