Vladimir Putin just delivered his verdict on Trump's presidency with 1,000 drones and dozens of missiles over three days, killing at least 30 Ukrainian civilians and leaving neighborhoods in rubble. Trump’s failure to end the Ukraine conflict has revealed his weakness and Putin has responding accordingly.
While Ukrainian families huddled in shelters, American media ignored the carnage until Trump issued a meaningless statement calling Putin "crazy," then treated it like some policy pivot. There was no pivot. No new weapons, no real sanctions, no coordination with allies. Just empty words while people died.
The escalation exposes how Trump's mixed signals embolden enemies. After years of calling Putin a "genius," Trump's shocked reaction rings hollow. Putin got the message when Trump stepped back from Ukraine support—and responded with his largest aerial assault since the invasion began. Nine ballistic missiles reached their targets because the U.S. pulled back military aid, leaving Ukraine without adequate air defenses. As we write this, over 80 US senators are ready to pass crushing Russia sanctions with 500% tariffs, but Majority Leader Thune waits for Trump's blessing while bodies pile up.
Meanwhile, Trump is systematically dismantling America's ability to respond to threats. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino—yes, the right-wing podcaster—announced the bureau is reallocating resources from terrorism investigations to pursue conspiracy theories. Instead of tracking ISIS recruitment or Iranian assassination plots on U.S. soil, FBI agents will now investigate the leaked Dobbs draft, cocaine found in the Biden White House, and January 6th pipe bombs. This is Alex Jones-level conspiracy thinking now driving federal law enforcement priorities.
The corruption operates in plain sight. Trump used the official presidential seal at a crypto investor dinner where Chinese billionaire Justin Sun—recently cleared of SEC investigation—paid over $1 million for access. Sun had refused to come to America fearing arrest until Trump took office, then invested in Trump's World Liberty Financial before showing up for dinner. White House press secretary claimed it was "private," but there's no private capacity when you're president—especially when you're speaking in front of the presidential seal while taking money from foreign nationals.
Trump's most dangerous move happened Friday night on Memorial Day weekend when nobody was watching: gutting the National Security Council in half. Career experts who provide evidence-based analysis are being replaced with loyalists who tell Trump what he wants to hear. This isn't just personnel changes—it's eliminating the analytical guardrails that prevent catastrophic decisions. When Putin's advisers told him he'd conquer Ukraine in three days, that's what happens when you surround yourself with yes-men instead of experts.
The pattern is clear: Trump weakens institutions that could check his power while enemies like Putin capitalize on American dysfunction. FBI resources get redirected to conspiracy theories while real threats go unmonitored. The NSC loses expertise precisely when America faces serious international challenges. Senate sanctions sit unused while Ukrainian civilians pay the price. This is a systematic dismantling of America's defenses, foreign and domestic.
The Trump Tyranny Tracker is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Advertising inquiries email next@narativ.org. The Trump Tyranny Tracker is a co-production of trumptyrannytracker.substack.com and narativ.org.
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