Ah, politics. The gift that keeps on giving, whether we want it or not. And in today’s installment of “Wait, He Said What?” we have none other than President Donald Trump, a man who treats history the way a toddler treats a coloring book—scribbling all over it and then proudly declaring, “Look what I made!” This time, he’s decided to brand Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator and, in a move of truly Olympic-level mental gymnastics, suggest that Ukraine somehow started the war with Russia. Yes, Ukraine—the country currently on fire—apparently had the audacity to throw itself in front of a tank and say, “You started it!”
Now, for those keeping track at home, Russia did invade Ukraine in 2022. Not a minor border dispute, not a bit of a misunderstanding over a fence line, but a full-scale, missiles-flying, cities-burning invasion. And yet, Trump is now asking us to believe that it was Ukraine who initiated this little international disagreement. It’s like watching someone get punched in the face and then having the bystander go, “You know, maybe your nose attacked his fist.”
But why stop there? Trump has also labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding elections during a war. Now, minor detail: Ukraine’s constitution explicitly prohibits elections during martial law. You know, the thing they had to declare because of all those Russian tanks rolling across their country. So unless we’ve decided that protecting democracy means forcing people to campaign while bombs are falling, I think we can safely call this accusation somewhat bonkers.
And, to the surprise of absolutely no one, the world’s actual democracies are having none of it. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has basically responded with, “Nein, that is ridiculous.” Over in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pointed out that, shockingly, not holding elections in a war zone is perfectly reasonable—a point the British themselves demonstrated during World War II when they rather sensibly decided not to take a brief break from fighting the Nazis to hold a general election.
So what’s going on here? Why is Trump suddenly regurgitating Russian propaganda like a wind-up Kremlin parrot? Well, for one, this nonsense fits neatly into the broader playbook of authoritarian fanboys everywhere: if you don’t like a democratic leader, just call them a dictator. Never mind that Zelenskyy was actually elected and, before all this war business, had rather hoped to spend his time making reforms rather than dodging assassination attempts. No, no—far easier to just slap a label on him and pretend that up is down, night is day, and the guy fighting for democracy is somehow the real problem.
But here’s the part that should make everyone sit up and pay attention: Trump isn’t just embarrassing himself. His words have consequences. Undermining Ukraine isn’t just a rhetorical exercise—it’s a signal, a big flashing neon sign telling Putin, “Hey, buddy, maybe you can get away with this after all.” It weakens Western unity, gives oxygen to Russian propaganda, and sows doubt among U.S. allies. And frankly, that’s not just irresponsible—it’s dangerous.
So where does that leave us? Well, on the one hand, you have the rest of the free world standing by Ukraine, recognizing that this is a fight about democracy, sovereignty, and whether a country has the right to exist without its neighbor bombing it to pieces. And on the other hand, you have Trump, seemingly auditioning for a role in Putin’s next propaganda film.
History will, of course, remember this moment. The question is: will it remember the world standing firm against tyranny? Or will it remember a former U.S. president giving one of democracy’s most embattled leaders a rhetorical kick in the ribs while he’s already down? Either way, you have to admit, this is one hell of a plot twist.
