The Trump administration has a consistent record: Treating governments dismantling freedom better than those defending it.
Under Donald Trump, the United States has exhibited a pattern of treating its traditional allies with disrespect, disdain, and even issuing threats against those allies, while deepening ties to autocratic regimes and authoritarian leaders.
Consider the following. As noted by War on the Rocks, Russia has been helping Iran’s effort to kill Americans by providing the Islamic regime with targeting information and weapons:
“Recent reporting indicates that Russia is providing real-time targeting data to help Iran strike American and Israeli assets. The Financial Times cites Western intelligence reports that claim Russia is shipping drones to Iran. And Britain’s defense minister claims “Russia and Iran have been working together — sharing tactics, training, and tech.”
More of America’s warfighters could soon pay the price with their lives, not to mention military personnel and civilians in the countries around Iran that have found themselves under fire since the war began.”
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas also noted Russia-Iran cooperation:
“Russia is providing intelligence support to Iran in the Middle East war to “kill Americans,” the EU’s top diplomat said Thursday, calling on the U.S. to increase pressure on Moscow.
“We see that Russia is helping Iran with intelligence to target Americans, to kill Americans, and Russia is also supporting Iran now with the drones so that they can attack neighboring countries and also U.S. military bases,” Kaja Kallas said at a G7 meeting outside Paris.”
Viktor Orban – Putin’s Pal
As reported by Bloomberg, Hungarian President Viktor Orban – who has regularly pushed for increased Russian gas supplies to Europe and has sought to block European military and financial aid to Ukraine – called Putin a friend during a phone call, and referred to himself as a “mouse” who could help Putin the “lion”:
In the phone call, Orban calls Putin a friend, noting that their close ties date back to a 2009 meeting in St Petersburg.
“But yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way — there is a story in our Hungarian picture books where a mouse helps a lion,” he tells Putin according to the transcript. “I am ready to help immediately … In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.”
Putin tells Orban in response that he values their relations highly and says Budapest would be what he described as “perhaps the only European country that is an acceptable venue” for a possible meeting with Trump.
Hungary at the time said it would ensure that Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, which Orban’s government is in the process of leaving, could enter the country for a summit with the U.S. president.
Putin also tells Orban that he greatly appreciates his “independent and flexible” stance on the Ukraine crisis.
The publication of the transcript follows the release of an audio clip by an investigative news outlet that featured Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussing EU sanctions.”
Orban and Putin are pals. Russia helps Iran target and kill Americans. And the Trump Administration’s response? Send JD Vance to campaign for Orban, where Vance dutifully repeated Kremlin talking points and praised Orban’s government – a government that has the worst corruption ranking in the European Union:
“To understand the level of Orban’s desperation, he begged Trump to come support him, and in the end it’s JD Vance who shows up and calls Trump on the phone (Trump only answers on the second call and doesn’t know what to say).
It’s ridiculous, especially since we learn the same day that Orban was telling Putin “I can help you with anything” back on October 17…”
Hypocrisy
The hypocrisy of all of this boggles the mind. While campaigning for Viktor Orban – as clear an example of outside interference as there is – Vance accused others of outside interference in Hungary:
The hypocrisy doesn’t stop there.
U.S. allies like Canada and Denmark get annexation threats and promises of economic ruination. Leaders of staunch U.S. partners like the U.K. and France get insults. Even countries like South Korea and Japan – who have done everything to be strong U.S. allies – get criticized by the U.S. President. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin never gets even a bit of criticism from Trump and Vance despite Russia helping Iran kill Americans, and pro-Russia leaders like Viktor Orban get feted by the U.S. Vice President.
This is why the U.S. is shedding credibility. A significant faction within the U.S. Republican Party has turned its back on individual freedom and free markets, and is pushing for authoritarian conservative collectivism, something that is anathema to the core values that were once a unifying force among Western allies. And while that authoritarian conservative collectivist faction doesn’t represent a majority of Republicans, that is irrelevant at the moment, given that it is in control at the highest levels of the Trump Administration.
This is also why those who try to normalize the Trump Administration, or who pathetically attempt to claim that Canada – not the U.S. – caused the breakdown in relations started by Trump, are completely out of touch with reality. There is nothing normal about a U.S. President and Vice President who demonize democracies like Canada, the U.K., France, and others while looking the other way as Russia helps Iran try to kill Americans.
Spencer Fernando
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