Trump’s Ukrainian Outrage

‘Genius”? Really? President Trump’s assessment of the pretext Vladimir Putin conjured up for his invasion of Ukraine was such a woeful thing to say about a Russian despot that it reminded me of the New York Times’ infamous description of Joseph Stalin upon his death: “Those who survived the purges hailed [him] as a supreme genius.” Fear of being murdered does have a way of concentrating one’s attention.

But one doesn’t expect Trump to stoop to the level of the New York Times when it comes to praising Russian strongmen. The former president has said many things that ought to have disqualified him from being considered for any major office, much less the presidency, but even so, his comments on radio’s The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show yesterday were outrageous. I wish I could say they were also shocking.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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‘Genius”? Really? President Trump’s assessment of the pretext Vladimir Putin conjured up for his invasion of Ukraine was such a woeful thing to say about a Russian despot that it reminded me of the New York Times’ infamous description of Joseph Stalin upon his death: “Those who survived the purges hailed [him] as a supreme genius.” Fear of being murdered does have a way of concentrating one’s attention.

But one doesn’t expect Trump to stoop to the level of the New York Times when it comes to praising Russian strongmen. The former president has said many things that ought to have disqualified him from being considered for any major office, much less the presidency, but even so, his comments on radio’s The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show yesterday were outrageous. I wish I could say they were also shocking.