At a shameful White House meeting last week between convicted felon/adjudicated sexual abuser President Trump and his #2, JD Vance, Trump and Vance bullied and yelled at Ukrainian President Zelensky in a televised display of anger and resentment toward the leader of a democratic country that’s been invaded by Russia. Beyond this, as bad as the made-for-Russia meeting already was, Brian Glenn, White House correspondent for the right-wing cable channel Real America’s Voice, chimed in and berated Zelenskyy over his war time clothing, to the delight of Trump’s cabinet. You can see the harassment of Zelenskyy over his war time attire playing out in the clip above.
Trump’s illegal, unappointed “co-president,” billionaire Elon Musk, dominates a cabinet meeting at the White House on 2/26/25 wearing a baseball cap and T-shirt. No one publicly criticized his attire.
Brian Glenn, who attacked Zelesnkyy over his clothes, is the boyfriend of right-wing firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, and one of the hand-picked reporters the White House has chosen under its new policy of choosing the press pool reporters who will cover them favorably and excluding reporters they think won’t cover them favorably — a classic authoritarian move to assure a positive spin on all news coverage of the regime.
If you’d like more context or want to see the entirety of the cringy meeting, you can watch a video of the whole 50-minute meeting deteriorating into a bullying session here.
The following 5 minute video commentary on this mortifying event was posted by Timothy Snyder, an American historian specializing in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. Snyder is also a Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. Professor Snyder gives what he sees are the top 5 most serious failures U.S. officials committed at the meeting, and why they are so serious:
Here are the links to ways people can help Ukraine that Professor Snyder included in his Substack post:
“If you are thinking today about how to help Ukrainians, here are some possibilities: Come Back Alive (Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans), United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, with many excellent projects), RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for US citizens, which cooperates with Ukrainian NGOS to support civilians), and Documenting Ukraine (a project that helps to give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans).”
Thank you Ann for bringing this horrific occurrence at the people’s house a voice of reason. We need you and your heart right now more than ever!
Does anyone believe that trump does the cockamamie antics he pulls simply to please racists and the oligarchs? His biggest script writer and director is V. Putin, who has controlled trump through kompromat for decades. Threatening Ukraine’s president and ridiculing his clothing? Putin’s psy-war on prime time TV. And the GOP is silent.
No, I don’t believe that. I have seen no direct nexus from Putin to Project 25, the charter of his policies. I don’t think racism is Trump’s primary driver. The oligarchs are not his peers, but rather his customers. Help the GOP to see the light.
Zelenskyy said today that there will be no peace with Russia for a very, very long time. I guess he will now get to rely on his European partners to enable him to defeat and subdue Putin…
Or…he might come to his senses. Fingers crossed for everyone concerned.
OK Harry, Ukraine sovereignty is not important to you. Perhaps you believe that Zelenskyy is the authoritarian and the cause of the special operation which could lead to WW3. More likely, you just don’t want to increase US debt on a European affair. I wish I could say ‘fair enough’ , but I can’t.
Lets try a different tack. I presume your investments took a hair cut yesterday after the tariff announcement. It won’t be the last. If you justify Trump making you great again on the comparable misery that Mexico and Canada will suffer, then there’s that. Just don’t ask Trump for some relief because your ungratefulness will justify your sentencing.
Ok, maybe all that won’t happen within Trump’s term(s) or before he dies. Just tell me that you have some doubt over Trump’s actions.
I previously thought annexing Canada was rhetoric and just him campaigning to his base. Was it rhetoric? Do you still want to be his base? Come on, we can agree that there are other past and current problems in America, but selling out to an authoritarian is not the solution. Can’t we?
I am currently reading a book called “Not One Inch”. The title refers to a statement/promise made by James Baker to Gorbachev during the negotiations for German reunification that NATO wouldn’t extend “one inch eastward” from its then current boundaries.
This story is a lot more complicated than most in this country know or are interested enough in to wonder about.
I think Trump was attempting to sweep away the history and fears on both sides and come up with a resolution that would end the death and destruction and see what could develop from there. The war hawk faction (who hates Trump) apparently got ahold of Zelenskyy before he got to the White House and filled his head with visions of righteous victory over Putin.
None of this should have happened in public…but Trump is not afraid of the public seeing what’s going on. It will be interesting to see if this can be crawled back from. There are a lot of interested parties with vastly different agendas.
A President, fighting for his country’s freedom, is supposed to want “righteous victory”. Not everyone is as into smug, submissive servitude to dictators as you are.
Every day, it’s a new, spineless low for you; it’s almost impressive, but, again, I get the sense this whole bootlick bit is more about fantasy fulfillment than anything else.
Just wondering what your reaction was when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014…
or hadn’t you located Crimea on a map back then?
or was it because Obama looked the other way it didn’t bother you at all?
Zelenskyy is welcome to his war.
“Looking the other way” (even in your blinkered viewpoint) is a hell of a lot different than actively urging an ally to capitulate to a dictator.
Again, we don’t all kneel before the people you see as “strong”. Get off your knees once in a while, and you might be able so see our perspective.
To Seamus:
I *do* see your viewpoint and I reject it.
Here you are saying “looking the other way” is a morally defensible stance whereas trying to figure a way out of an intractible situation (which one had no part in) is diabolical.
Sometimes I wonder if someone as confused as you appear to be is actually serious or just likes to type stuff.
It was on the New York Times bestseller list. I outlined the whole history at length in a response to you a few weeks ago including all countries rights to make alliances without USA and at that time the Soviet Union signing off. It is good for you to learn, and my point is that you are getting much more educated than the man who is making deals over the phone with Putin. Do you think there needs to be some checks for any leader who is individually over his head, and has hired yes men? This isn’t about who hates who, it is about survival. You can question the man you voted for .. at least for a few more weeks. This is not the time to be interested in what happens. The ‘dude’ talked about interested parties and different agendas. The train has left the station!
I don’t remember your post about that book.
The funny thing about Trump is that as soon as one paints him as stupid and evil, one realizes he is neither.
I’d love a more conventional president and the only reason I voted for him originally is because I loathe Clinton and all her elite and entrenched know it alls.
For the record, I question Trump all time. I don’t think he’s “over his head”, especially considering all those who came before…he’s just different…an acquired taste.
One of the things that’s pissing me off this morning is that there’s no mention that Claudia Sheinbaum just extradicted 29 cartel bosses into the US custody…a huge concession on her part. Maybe Trump can help her make some headway on curing the cancer that’s killing the Mexican people.
That’s a war worth fighting.
And there it is…the spineless backing off, once you realize you’ve gone too far with your Trump/Putin worship.
Again, this is what gives me hope about ground-level conflicts between people who care about this country, and your and your “Trump Uber Alles” crew –
You do not last long when anyone bothers to push back.
Today, all military aid to Ukraine was suspended, and why? Because Zelenskyy refused to kneel down before our “king”. Thank goodness that Europe is regaining the mantle of democratic support that America once wore proudly. Our ‘king” also announced the creation of a crypto strategic reserve! I’m certain that “investment” will protect those who have been indiscriminately fired from their critical jobs in DC and around the country; it might also protect those who are about to lose access to Medicaid, right? And surely that will enable the U.S. to again begin providing vaccines, health care, food, etc. to those who are suffering around the globe from the dismantling of USAID. 5 weeks in . . . what more could possibly go wrong? P.S. – Another worthy Ukrainian charity is the Ukrainian Red Cross Society: https://redcross.org.ua/en/
Wonderful video by Professor Snyder, thank you! His comments are non-partisan.
Trump is correct that that Zelenskyy doesn’t hold cards. The only totally unacceptable outcome in light of an American betrayal is capitulation. More and more, this appears to be what Trump has planned with Putin. I am not sure why Trump would do this but it could be that as a narcissist he needs constant attention. An end to the war within 100 days might let him believe he won the best President ever award in history books. He also could be compromised as Steele suggested. He might envy the absolute control dictators have over large populations. It might be something else, or something we will never understand. Trump and Vance are a threat not only to our own democracy, but World security and stability.
The donations are extremely helpful. If we are, as Anne posited, in a Constitutional crisis, we need to try to get enough Republicans on board to impeach and expel President Trump. A follow up on Vance definitely puts us in ‘House of Cards’ reality. A post back, but I explained how we can try to nudge our Senators to not only do Ukraine right, but empower them if a showdown with Trump happens.
Engaging Republican senators who have previously supported aid to Ukraine or have shown openness to bipartisan initiatives may be effective in bolstering support for Ukraine. Notable senators include:
Senator John Cornyn (Texas): Despite recent tensions, Cornyn has a history of supporting Ukraine aid and may be receptive to constituent advocacy.
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
Senator John Thune (South Dakota): As a member of the Republican leadership, Thune’s stance can influence others. He has previously expressed support for Ukraine, making him a key figure to engage.
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska): Murkowski has voiced concerns over shifting U.S. policies toward Ukraine and has shown support for continued assistance.
THETIMES.CO.UK
Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina): Known for his hawkish foreign policy stance, Graham has been a vocal advocate for supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
APNEWS.COM
Reaching out to these senators through calls, letters, or town hall meetings to express support for Ukraine can be impactful. Highlighting the strategic importance of aiding Ukraine and sharing personal perspectives may further encourage their continued support.
Slava Ukraini!
The real question is, why are Trump staffers not wearing a clown nose each day?
Zelenskyy is a leader; he cares about his people, and he’s used to standing up to dictators.
Trump is a sniveling toady in an ill-fitting suit, who cares about nothing but himself; he’s used to kneeling before dictators.