Left Column on Zelenskyy v. Trump

‘Pathetic’

It is now imaginable that the leader of what is still the Free World could act in such a manner in a public meeting toward anyone who is a guest at the White House. Kinda says it all. Two men with way too much money acting like adolescents. Pathetic.

--Kate McLeod

Via Substack

Remove Trump

I watched this happen on live TV and I simply could not believe my eyes and ears. No president has ever, ever behaved like that with another head of state in the 236 years since the Constitution has been in force. No president has ever betrayed the trust of the American people the way Donald Trump did Friday. If he can’t be removed via the 25th Amendment, then he needs to be impeached, tried, convicted and removed so that his lapdog can take over. At least Vance has an education.

--Jim McCraw

‘Definition of Arrogance’

Friday, I was filled with rage, but held myself back from writing so as not to regret my choice of words.

Trump and Vance are the definition of arrogance. Their performance in the oval office yesterday took our country to the lowest point that I could have ever thought possible. They have no respect for the office they hold. 

Those who voted for this pathetic pair will continue to support them and see this as take-charge, tough talk. They will refuse to see it for what it is, demeaning to our country and disrespecting a world leader who was an invited guest to the White House. I fear those voters as much as I fear Trump and Vance. 

How does the United States recover from such an asinine act? 

Trump told President Zelensky that he was 'Gambling with World War III,' when in reality Trump is doing just that. I never thought I'd live to see World War III, but now I fear what the coming days may bring. 

--Sharon Lintner

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MONDAY 3/3/25

SOTU-ish Tonight

UK PM Keir Starmer greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street Saturday after Zelenskyy’s heated Friday White House meeting. Scroll down this column for details.

SOTU Tonight – Technically, it’s not a State of the Union address, as they normally take place in January or February and in a non-inaugural year, but Donald J. Trump is no normal president. He will address the US beginning 9 pm ET/6 pm PT Tuesday from the House chamber. Sen. Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), who beat her Republican opponent for the seat last November even as Trump won her state, will give the Democratic counter-message. As Trump said after his attack on Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday, should make for good TV.

As always … Your comments on tonight’s television gala are welcome at editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

•••

T-Day – As promised, Trump tariffs of 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods were imposed at midnight Tuesday, with an extra 10% applied to Chinese goods (per NPR’s Morning Edition). 

Le excusé … President Trump says he imposed the additional tariffs because of Chinese fentanyl crossing the US’ northern and southern borders.  

China immediately imposed 15% on US chickens, wheat, corn and cotton, and 10% on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy, according to The New York Times. 

Oh, Canada … Prime Minister Justin Trudeau counter-imposed tariffs on $20.8 billion in US imports, not including goods already in transit, with more duties likely to follow, Reuters reports. The lame-duck PM whose Liberal Party had faced almost certain defeat in elections called for later this year says that less than 1% of fentanyl intercepted at the border has come from Canada. 

The Conservative Party of Canada’s likely candidate, Pierre Poilievre, is free-falling in Canadian popularity according to Morning Edition, as his party has been embracing a populist connection with President Trump’s MAGA conservatism. Up North, the Trump-style politics is known as “Maple MAGA.”

•••

Pause That Refreshes Russia – The Trump administration Monday suspended more than $1 billion in military aid that already had been committed to Ukraine. If the “temporary” suspension goes long, it will give Russia’s Vladimir Putin time to press for more territorial gains in the country he invaded three years ago. 

“If this is true, it is a decision that can push the Kyiv regime to a peace process,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference in Russian, as translated by the BBC. 

A senior White House official told Bloomberg that the aid is on hold until President Trump determines that Ukraine’s leaders make a “genuine effort” toward peace.

Chairman of Ukraine’s foreign affairs committee Oleksandr Merezhko told The Kyiv Independent: “I don’t see that Trump is using leverage against the aggressor, he is using leverage against the victim of aggression. To stop military aid to Ukraine right now means to help Russia kill Ukrainians with impunity.”

•••

FBI Official Forced Out – The FBI’s top New York City official, James Dennehy, told colleagues he was forced out of the agency in an email Monday, NBC News reports. This comes a month after Dennehy vowed to “dig in” and resist the Trump administration’s purge of eight agents who investigated the January 6th assault on the US Capitol, including the head of the agency’s Washington field office, were fired.

“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I did,” the email, passed on to NBC by FBI sources, read. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”

--TL

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UK Proposes Peace Deal for Ukraine

MONDAY 3/3/25

Meanwhile -- Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay returns to the right column Monday to school President Trump on math and geography after the much-discussed Zelenskyy-Trump meeting at the White House. Read Macaulay’s Friday commentary in the left column and contributing pundit Rich Corbett’s commentary on same in the right column and submit your own comments to editors@thehustings.news.

Starmer Takes Charge – A group of nearly 20 other European leaders have been meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the UK to secure a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to London after his disastrous Friday meeting with President Trump & Co. at the White House.

“We are at a crossroads in history,” Starmer said (per The Hill).

The British PM said the leaders agreed to keep aid flowing into Ukraine for an extended period of time to prepare for another Russian strike attempt during a ceasefire.

Latest in the talks is French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has suggested a one-month truce between Ukraine and Russia to determine whether Vladimir Putin was “acting in good faith” in the negotiations. 

Starmer also has suggested an additional 5,000 air defense missiles to Ukraine. They would be manufactured in Belfast and would help spur Northern Ireland’s economic growth. (This seems a good time to note that much of the military aid then-President Biden sent to Ukraine has returned to the US in the form of armaments purchases from US defense manufacturers.) 

Part Four of Starmer’s plan is to deter a future Russian invasion, a “coalition of the willing,” to defend Ukraine.

In Kyiv, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, the HUR, Vadym Skibitskyi told RBC Ukraine (per The Kyiv Independent) that Russia plans to launch at least 500 drones per aerial attack. US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth meanwhile has ordered a pause in the US cyber-offensive against Russia, the BBC reports, which would seem to be particularly well-timed for such a drone attack. 

Back in the States, congressional Republicans and White House officials took to Sunday’s news talk shows to suggest Zelenskyy display “more gratitude” and be more open to concessions to Russia’s Putin, The Associated Press reports. Some GOP Congress members suggested Zelenskyy resign, even as his popularity grows in his home country.

There was at least one exception: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) who on Saturday posted this on Elon Musk’s X-Twitter: “I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world.” 

•••

Where’s DOGE Now? – The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered staff to look for tens of millions of dollars for a contract with Elon Musk’s satellite business, Starlink, to upgrade the system it uses to manage US airspace, Rolling Stone reports. A source with knowledge of the government agency and of two people briefed on the situation say the internal directives have been mostly or even entirely been given verbally, with the source saying “someone does not want a paper trail.” Musk reportedly has criticized Verizon, which formally holds a $2.4 billion contract for the FAA upgrade, and according to critical posts on his X/Twitter is about to take over the contract.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 3/3/25

Probably Ridiculous

Commentary By Stephen Macaulay

“And as you know, we’re in for, probably, $350 billion and Europe is in for $100 billion. And that’s a big difference. So, we’re in for, probably, three times as much. And yet, it’s very important to everybody, but Europe is very close. We have a big ocean separating us. So, it’s very important for Europe. And they, hopefully, will step up and do maybe more than they’re doing and maybe a lot more.” — Donald Trump, February 26, 2025, prior to the first meeting of his Cabinet

Let’s break this down.

“As you know, we’re in for, probably, $350 billion and Europe is in for $100 billion.”

Although we are supposed to know (“As you know”), Trump is admitting that he doesn’t know (“probably”).

Isn’t this a bit concerning that the President of the United States, speaking to his freshly minted Cabinet, doesn’t know whether or not the United States is “in for” $350 billion?

“In for”? Sounds like a term that would be heard at a gambling table at a casino, not a Cabinet meeting.

Here’s something about Trump that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

While it is not a truism but true that in the gaming industry “the house always wins,” seems that Trump is the exception that proves the rule.

He owned three casinos in Atlantic City.

  • Trump Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy in 1991
  • Trump Plaza filed in 1992
  • Trump Hotels & Casino in 2004

Perhaps, as you know, he thought he had $350 billion in the bank.

But there is that number, $350 billion.

You would think there would be someone on his staff who would tell him the actual number so that he wouldn’t have to have a number that may or may not be true.

I had Google tell me that if I went to a page on the US Department of State website I would find a "fact sheet" titled “U.S. Security Cooperation with Ukraine.”

And there I would find this passage:

“To date, we have provided $65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and approximately $69.2 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014. We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totaling approximately $27.688 billion from DoD stockpiles.”

Even though that goes back to 2014, adding up all those numbers comes nowhere close to $350 billion: Rather, it is $162.788 billion — less than half of $350 billion. And again, this is accounting for aide prior to 2022, so if we were looking at the provisions after that date, it would be less.

(And Cabinet member Marco Rubio might want to edit that “premediated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion” before his boss finds out.)

While Trump says the difference between $350 billion and $100 billion (another number that seems to have come from nowhere), is “a big difference,” so is the difference between $350 billion and his own State Department’s $162.788 billion.

And this is the Administration that has empowered Elon Musk to cut costs?

As for the $100 billion from Europe, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy:

“Europe has allocated EUR 70 billion in financial and humanitarian aid as well as EUR 62 billion in military aid. This compares to EUR 64 billion in military aid from the US as well as EUR 50 billion in financial and humanitarian allocations.”

While some might sniff at those figures because Kiel is based in Germany, the organization is critical of European support. As in pointing out:

“Even small domestic policy priorities are many times more expensive than what is being done for Ukraine. For example, Germany’s tax subsidies for diesel fuel (‘diesel privilege’) cost taxpayers three times more per year than Germany’s military aid for Ukraine.”

Clearly, Kiel isn’t all that happy with diesel subsidies.

Still, the numbers that organization calculates is probably more accurate than Trump’s ballparking, which goes to:

“So, we’re in for, probably, three times as much.”

Again, the “probably.”

But how has it gone from $350 billion to $300 billion in three sentences?

Let’s put his math skills aside and move to this:

“… but Europe is very close.  We have a big ocean separating us.  So, it’s very important for Europe.”

Yes, Europe is very close to Ukraine. Because Ukraine is in Europe.

And then there’s 

“We have a big ocean separating us.”

This beggars belief. Does he think that if the US was to be attacked from Europe the troops would come over on a cruise ship traveling 20 knots, thereby allowing our troops to set up countermeasures?

An ICBM travels at about 15,000 mph. The distance between Washington D.C. and Continental Europe is about 4,400 miles. And the distance between a nuclear-powered attack submarine in the Atlantic is even closer.

That “big ocean” isn’t so big.

Probably.

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MONDAY 3/3/25

When Deals Erase Ideals

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

From “Remarks by President Trump Before Cabinet Meeting” February 26, 2025:

  • “The previous administration put us in a very bad position, but we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future.” [On Ukraine]
  • “And I think that, very importantly, we’re going to be able to make a deal.” [On Ukraine and Russia]
  • “Most importantly, by far, we’re going to make a deal with Russia and Ukraine to stop killing people.”
  • “So, the deal we’re making gets us — it brings us great wealth.” [On an agreement with Ukraine]
  • “And we’ll be able to make a deal.  And again, President Zelenskyy is coming to sign the deal.  And it’s a great thing.  It’s a great deal for Ukraine, too, because they get us over there, and we’re going to be working over there.”
  • “Now, when COVID came in, that was a different deal.” [On China]
  • “When I got elected, we spoke, and I think we’re going to have a deal.  I can’t guarantee you that.  You know, a deal is a deal.  Lots of crazy things happen in deals, right?  But I think we’re going to have a deal.” [On Putin]
  • “It’s making the deal that’s very tough.” [His assessment of what is more difficult: peacekeeping in Ukraine or that.]
  • “No, I want to see if we make a deal first.” [On whether there might be sanctions on Russia regarding Ukraine.]
  • “We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides.  But for Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible.”

On the cover of The Art of the Deal, originally published in 1989, there is a picture of a 43-year-old Donald Trump. The credit line reads: “Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz.” Schwartz has claimed he is the person who put the words down on paper. 

That, of course, is disputed by Trump.

But that doesn’t much matter because Trump “owns” the word “deal.”

Back in that period of time there was a commercial for a vocabulary-building instructional program, Verbal Advantage, that included the phrase, “People judge you by the words you use.”

Which makes me wonder about Trump’s use of the word “deal.”

Historically we would hear government officials talk about “agreements,” “understandings,” “accords,” “pacts” or the like.

But not Trump. For him it is about “deals.”

As he fancies himself the preeminent dealmaker — after all, he wrote the book on it, didn’t he? — implicit in his use of the word is that the other guy is going to get the raw deal.

This is in no way something that is in any way mutually beneficial. Screwing the other guy is just fine: clearly the other person isn’t as good a dealmaker.

While some might argue that this is just a case of not using euphemisms, that no matter what you call it, a deal is a deal, it seems as though there’s a lot of fast talk and little substance. 

You can imagine Vladimir Putin breaking just the slightest of smiles when he hears Trump talk about making deals while he is playing four-dimensional chess. Sure the deal may be made by Trump, but it is what happens afterwards that matters.

Consider Trump’s talk about putting tariffs on our allies unless they make a deal with him about trade. As there are not conditions that would call for a deal, for them it is probably not about making a deal but of deflecting, to the extent they can, the negative effects on their economies. But in the long term, what is the position of these countries vis-à-vis the US?

Most recently, Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky that he needs to make a deal with Russia. 

When a reporter asked Trump what would happen if the Russians broke the ceasefire agreement — a.k.a., “the deal” — Trump blustered a response that included everything from the possibility of a bomb falling on the reporter’s head to Hunter Biden’s laptop, even including Hillary Clinton. He had no answer.

Yes, Trump holds, as he put it “the cards” as the US has sent money and resources in the defense of Ukraine.

Clearly, helping keep a democracy free is not a good deal so far as Trump is concerned.

And if it is all and only about dealmaking, then the world is going to be a sadder place for everyone. 

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings, self-identifying as a Never-Trumper conservative, who mostly writes for the right column. His comments here appear opposite our pro-MAGA conservative right contributor.

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

The Two Sides of Zelenskyy v. Trump

COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

By Todd Lassa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “told to leave” by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance after an explosive meeting with President Trump, without signing the much-anticipated deal between the two countries that was supposed to result in a ceasefire with Russia, NPR’s All Things Considered reports.

Details are a bit murky, but Trump apparently wanted Ukraine to turn over half its proceeds from rare metals mining in the eastern part of the country – yes, including regions that already have been captured by Russian (maybe including help from North Korean) forces in exchange for some form of security for Ukraine. Or not. 

There was little evidence that the art of this deal included much for Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, in a press conference-ish meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump at center-sofa (above), and Vance and Rubio barely off-camera to their left, one reporter asked whether the Trump administration would protect from Vladimir Putin’s Russia that eastern portion of where much of Ukraine’s rare metals are being mined.

Before that question, another reporter asked, off-camera, why Zelenskyy keeps showing up at such formal meetings dressed the way he was (above) rather than in a suit. (Fox News has made this a major issue, though it might go away if Zelenskyy wore a black MAGA hat, like Elon Musk when he visits the White House). Yet another reporter, whom the president identified as from One America Network, was heaped with praise by Trump. 

The question about whether the US would offer security for eastern Ukraine was from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Rather than give a cogent answer, Trump said something about CNN’s poor ratings.

A Polish reporter was next. He asked whether Trump was “aligning too much” with Vladimir Putin.

Trump, who gushed with admiration for Polish people, responded that “If I didn’t align myself with both of them, we wouldn’t have a deal.”

What deal?

“It was an ambush,” Tom Nichols wrote in The Atlantic Daily. “The president of the United States ambushed a loyal ally, presumably so that he can soon make a deal with the dictator of Russia to sell out a European nation fighting for its very existence.”

After the White House conflagration, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News’ Special Report to tell Brett Baier he was “grateful” for America’s help, but he did not apologize.

“This is not good for both sides,” Zelenskyy told Baier. “I cannot change Ukraine’s attitude to Russia.”

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

America First: Why Trump, Vance Are Right to Force Zelenskyy’s Hand

Commentary by Rich Corbett

On Friday, the Oval Office hosted a fiery showdown that laid bare the stakes of America’s role in the Ukraine-Russia war. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and what unfolded was a blunt, no-nonsense exchange that reaffirmed a core truth: the United States must prioritize its own interests and demand accountability from those it supports. The discussion, which erupted into a shouting match, showcased Trump and Vance’s resolve to steer US foreign policy toward pragmatism over endless handouts — a stance that’s long overdue.

The crux of America’s position came through loud and clear: After pouring billions into Ukraine’s fight against Russia, the US has every right to expect gratitude and cooperation. Trump, raising his voice, drove this home, telling Zelenskyy, “You’re not really in a good position right now,” and urging him to “make a deal or we’re out.” Vance echoed this, calling out Zelenskyy’s public pushback as “disrespectful” in the Oval Office, especially given America’s sacrifices. They’re not wrong. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, the US has funneled over $174 billion in aid to Ukraine — more than any other nation — while American taxpayers foot the bill. A simple “thank you” isn’t too much to ask.

Zelenskyy’s response — questioning Vance’s diplomatic vision and pointing to Russia’s broken promises — missed the point. Trump and Vance aren’t here to relitigate Putin’s track record; they’re focused on ending a war that’s drained US resources and risked broader escalation. Trump’s insistence that Zelenskyy is “gambling with World War III” reflects a sobering reality: Ukraine’s stubbornness could drag America into a conflict it doesn’t want. The president’s push for a negotiated peace isn’t weakness — it’s strength, a refusal to let Ukraine dictate terms while leaning on US support. Vance nailed it when he said diplomacy, not chest-thumping, is the path to peace — a sharp break from the Biden era’s posturing that got us nowhere.

From the US perspective, this isn’t about abandoning an ally; it’s about results. Trump made it clear: “If we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it will be pretty.” That’s not a threat — it’s a fact. Ukraine’s manpower shortages and battlefield losses show it can’t win without America, yet Zelenskyy balked at the idea of compromise. The US has leverage — military aid, economic support, and global clout — and it’s time to use it. Trump’s vision of a minerals deal with Ukraine, tying aid to tangible returns like rare-earth resources, is a smart play. Why should America keep giving without getting something back?

The Oval Office clash laid bare Zelenskyy’s miscalculation. He walked into America’s house, challenged its leaders in front of cameras, and expected unwavering support to continue. Trump and Vance rightly pushed back, reminding him that our generosity isn’t a blank check. “Have you said, ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked — a fair question after years of American blood and treasure spent on Ukraine’s behalf. This isn’t about ego; it’s about respect for the nation that’s kept Ukraine afloat.

America’s stance today is a return to putting its own interests first. Trump and Vance aren’t caving to Putin — they’re forcing Zelenskyy to face reality and negotiate from a position of strength backed by US might. The United States has carried the load long enough; it’s time for Ukraine to step up or step aside. As Trump said, “We’re trying to solve a problem.” That’s leadership — unapologetic, practical, and American to the core.

Corbett is writer and publisher of My Desultory Blog.

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

New Age Robber Barrons

Commentary by Ken Zino

It’s not surprising that tech companies have endorsed Trump since it is in their direct interest to cozy up to power. They are pursuing an anti-regulatory strategy because monitoring and correcting the blatant lies – or let’s call it the myriad unrealities that festoon their money-making platforms is an extremely difficult, perilous and expensive task. 

It’s one thing to rate which college coeds are hot; it’s quite another to be the platform fronting propaganda, lies and disruptive ploys from hostile foreign powers who are actively subverting democracies so that they can rule the world without interference from the country that was founded by forcefully rejecting the Divine Right of Kings to rule by whim their subjects. This includes our allies in peace loving countries that Trump is trashing while siding with and promulgating Russian propaganda right down to a UN resolution that Putin could have written because it is in his interest to thwart democracies. 

However, lost in the electronic forest inhabited by these new age Robber Barons is the reality that Americans hate chaos. Americans right down to FDR’s dog Falla used to hate war. We stood for winning and maintain peace. Republicans embracing warring nations? Republicans pardoning violent criminals who attacked, hurt and killed law enforcement officers?

Then there are the businesses that will get clobbered by the impending tariffs. This includes auto companies and suppliers, who will pass on the highly inflationary costs – particularly companies that operate in Mexico and Canada. Trump – ever disconnected from reality and arguably the foremost perpetrator of the Big Lie theory employed by totalitarian governments – says the agreement he negotiated and signed, the USMCA from his first term, is a bad deal. It’s not the art of deal in play here. It’s the art of the steal. The American people own the post office that is now under a hostile Trump takeover.

Looking at the dropping popularity ratings of Trump and his minions, and the growing numbers of protests at elected representatives’ offices, we are reaching a Tipping Point. Actually, let’s calling it the Tip O’Neill point. All politics is local. It’s not the worldwide web. It’s the growing realization – buyer’s remorse? – that a reflexive anti-government posture is a diversion from what the man behind the screen of outrageous postures is doing. The mid-term elections loom.

Zino is publisher of AutoInformed.

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

No Deal

•How does this save tax dollars? GSA to shut down EV chargers for government vehicles. Gary S. Vasilash discusses in The Gray Area.

•Rich Corbett in the right column and Ken Zino in the left debate the question of why Silicon Valley tech and social media has embraced MAGA and President Trump.

UPDATE: Reporters shouted from outside the White House doors asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether there is a ceasefire deal with the Russia via President Trump, after Zelenskyy left early following a press conference that turned into a shout-fest. 

Zelenskyy left the White House without signing a rare-minerals deal with the US for the ceasefire. Trump, who said he had last spoken with Russia’s Vladimir Putin “a couple of days ago” used the press conference to reiterate his assertion that Russia’s war in Ukraine – which he still refuses to blame on Russia – would not have begun if he was president in 2022. 

Zelenskyy, who clearly was biting his tongue for much of the press conference, countered that no American president has been able to sign a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia since 2014, and that Putin broke a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in 2019, warning Trump about Putin’s lies.

“You have a very nice ocean, but someday you will feel” Putin’s influence, Zelenskyy said, referencing Trump's argument that Ukraine is Europe's problem as the US is separated by a "very nice" ocean. 

From there, it devolved into Trump repeating his grievances about being tied to Putin since he ran for president. Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful, and Trump added he found the Ukrainian president to be disrespectful.

“You are not in a good position,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “You do not have the cards. You’ve got to be more thankful, because you do not have the cards.” (From Associated Press live video.)

Peace Deal? – President Trump wants President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to a peace deal that will keep Ukraine out of NATO and allow Vladimir Putin to keep Ukrainian territory already seized by Russia. Zelenskyy will do “everything in his power” to convince Trump to keep supplying military aid to Ukraine, Politico Playbook reports.

Zelenskyy arrives in Washington 11 am ET. 

Trump and Zelenskyy hold a press conference at 1 pm (no word yet whether DOGE Chief Elon Musk will be present). 

Zelenskyy’s best hope is a deal – and we mean deal – sharing Ukraine’s raw materials with the US, which would require of course some sort of security for US companies while extracting said materials. If Zelenskyy cannot get a deal signed with Trump for more military aid in the next 24 hours, according to Playbook, you can expect Ukraine to suffer the next four years without any US help.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees very much,” Trump said, per AP. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”

But the BBC sees some softening in Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy, noting an answer to a reporter’s question in Thursday’s press conference with UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer of whether Trump still considers Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” Trump replied. “Next question …”

•••

•MUST-SEE UN SPEECH: Polish Foreign Minister Radisław Sikorski this week on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

--TL

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THURSDAY 2/27/25

Starmer Weather – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Washington where he will meet with President Trump face-to-face for the first time and try to tamp down tariff rhetoric toward Great Britain. In the case of tariffs, Starmer has Brexit on his side, as it separated the UK from the European Union that Trump claims was “formed to screw the United States.” 

“The stakes could not be higher,” The Guardian reports, of Thursday’s White House meeting. The British newspaper notes that lead activists in Starmer’s Labour party “mostly loathe Trump and everything he represents,” though the Starmer himself has managed a “warm” relationship with Trump, so far.

•••

‘Global Health Massacre’ – That’s how an anonymous USAID contractor characterized the State Department’s termination of thousands of USAID foreign aid grants and awards, according to NPR’s Morning Edition. The source was not authorized to speak for his/her organization.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Elimination of approximately 92% worth of United States Agency for International Development grants came hours before a federal district court’s deadline to restart paying for grants for work already done before the foreign aid freeze. 

On Wednesday, the Trump administration asked the US Supreme Court to vacate the federal court order to restart the payments, according to NPR. Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused the federal court’s order, giving the administration more time to restart payments. 

The State department cut about 4,100 grants and claimed total savings of nearly $60 billion. Among the approximately 8% of USAID saved are food and lifesaving services for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. 

A clean water program for Nigerians fleeing the jihadist terrorist organization Boko Haram was not spared.

•••

Musk Stars in Trump’s Cabinet Meeting – Prompted by a reporter’s question, President Trump in his first cabinet meeting with cameras and with Elon Musk present asked if anyone is unhappy with the DOGEmaster. The cabinet displayed their approval of his efforts by applauding. 

“For the most part, I think everybody’s not only happy, they’re thrilled,” Trump said. This show has drawn comparisons to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s politburo meetings.

Calling himself “humble tech support” while wearing a t-shirt proclaiming the title, Musk told the cabinet meeting; “the overall goal here with the DOGE team is to help address the enormous deficit. We simply cannot sustain, as a country, $2 trillion deficits. The interest rates – just the interest rate on the national debt now exceeds the Defense Department spending.”

Meanwhile, federal workers continue to sort through Musk’s demand via emails last weekend that they justify their employment by listing five things they did in the previous week.

New York magazine’s Intelligencer counts approximately 29,312 federal employees who have left their government jobs under Musk’s DOGE, as of Wednesday.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

House Framework Is In – Serious resistance to President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget package came not from moderate Republicans, but from the hard-core right. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), said the House is going to deliver all of Trump’s America First agenda, CQ Roll Call reports.

“We’re going to deliver all of it, not just part of it,” Johnson said, “and this is the first step in that process.”

One über-conservative holdout, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told NPR’s Leila Fadel on Morning Edition why it took a call from the president to flip his vote for the budget package, which passed 217-215; $36-trillion worth of federal debt. Johnson had no margin for a single Republican defection.

Burkett said his priorities are tax cuts, a closed border and deregulation. An $880-billion cut in Medicaid and Medicare will not affect the programs’ delivery of benefits, but rather will force the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find waste, fraud and abuse in their budgets, he said.

“The problem is it’s Washington, ma’am,” Burchett told Fadel. “It’s a dishonest community to its core.”

Details … The budget framework allows for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts extended from Trump’s first term plus new tax breaks, provided Congress can find $2 trillion in federal spending to cut for the coming decade, according to Roll Call. The framework calls for raising Congress’ borrowing limit to $4 trillion and adds up to $200 billion in border security funding and defense spending. 

•••

Trump's Gaza -- President Trump has posted a "madcap" AI video on Instagram promoting "what's next" for Gaza, Politico reports. Hint: Think golden Trump Casino Gaza on the Middle East's Riviera, replete with kids holding golden Trump-head balloons, Teslas roaming the streets and Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in bathing suits sipping drinks on the beach.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

How Trump and Tech Became Friends

Commentary by Rich Corbett

For President Trump, having tech and media companies less combative with him in 2025 gives his administration a smoother path to push the MAGA agenda, quite unlike 2017. Both Meta and Google are leaning on Trump to fend off the European Union; Elon Musk has the president's ear and Jeff Bezos is hopeful for deregulation. Having these powerhouses amplifying rather than obstructing GOP priorities gives Trump 2.0 a strategic edge to deliver on promises and gives Republicans leverage in both policy and public perception.

Do cooperative postures by tech and media companies help Trump 2.0? The relationship between tech and media companies and the Trump administration has evolved significantly from 2017 to 2025. In 2017, the tech sector, including giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft was largely oppositional to Trump’s policies, particularly criticizing initiatives like the travel ban due to its impact on workforce diversity and global operations. However, by 2025, there’s been a notable realignment:

•Meta’s Strategic Shift: Meta has actively sought President Trump’s assistance to counter EU regulatory measures, highlighting a strategic alignment with the administration to protect its international interests.

•Elon Musk’s Influence: Musk has taken on a role as a senior advisor to Trump, influencing policy from within, albeit without a formal government title, raising discussions on the extent of his influence.

•Content Moderation Policy: An executive order from Trump titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” has pushed companies to adjust their content moderation practices, reflecting a move away from previous regulatory approaches.

•FCC’s DEI Scrutiny: The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, is investigating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, leading media companies to rethink or scale back these initiatives to align with the administration’s stance.

•Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post: Jeff Bezos, owner of both Amazon and The Washington Post, has publicly expressed optimism about Trump’s second term, particularly regarding deregulation. The Washington Post, under Bezos’s ownership, faced backlash for not endorsing a presidential candidate in 2024, which some interpreted as an attempt to curry favor with Trump. This decision, alongside Bezos’s comments on supporting Trump’s regulatory agenda, marks a significant departure from the media’s previously adversarial stance, showcasing a more collaborative approach to navigate the political landscape.

This evolution from opposition to a more cooperative posture by 2025 reflects tech and media companies’ pragmatic adaptation to the prevailing regulatory environment, aiming to safeguard their interests under Trump’s administration.

Corbett writes and publishes My Desultory Blog.

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

Beige Suits, Condoms for Hamas

Contributing Pundit Comments on ‘The Rhetoric of Ridiculousness’:

Let us not forget that Obama was criticized for wearing a beige suit. Try to write absurdism these days? Hard to go beyond ‘condoms for Hamas.’

--Kate McLeod

Via Substack

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Comments from Both Sides ... are welcome. In fact, that’s what The Hustings is about: Reporting/analyzing and putting into context the facts in the center column (with no false equivalencies) and surrounding this with civil pundit and reader comments in this column and that one on the other side of the news/news aggregate. 

We need you to help fill these left and right columns. 

Email editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line. Please note: We do not expect you to follow right/left or red/blue party lines with your comments, which is why we ask you to indicate whether you are left or right in the subject line. 

Contributors for our right column include Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay, a never-Trumper conservative, and Rich Corbett, a pro-MAGA conservative. Macaulay’s comments may align much more often with left-column contributors like Sharon Lintner and Hugh Hansen, but that’s what The Hustings is all about and it is why we ask you to list your political leanings in the subject line for comments via email. We want to post your comments in the column with which you regularly identify; not necessarily the column that aligns with your comments on a single, particular subject. So help us grow into a news & commentary site that exposes readers to a variety of political thoughts and ideas. 

For more civil political news and discussion, please be sure to visit our Substack page.

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MONDAY 2/24/25

… meanwhile …

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured) was meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office Monday to discuss a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia when 19 countries voted against a non-binding resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor in its war with Ukraine. Details below.

US Refuses to Condemn Russia – These countries are among the 19 that voted against a non-binding United Nations resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor in its war against Ukraine, according to The Hill: Russia, North Korea, Syria, Israel, Haiti, Hungary and Nicaragua. Another 65 countries, including China, abstained, though President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his nation’s support for Russia in a video call with dictator Vladimir Putin Monday.

Kyiv and its allies “sabotaged” a resolution led by the US that advocated peace but had no reference to Moscow’s aggression three years earlier to the day, according to Politico. Acting US ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea called the resolution “a simple historic statement from the General Assembly that looks forward not behind.”

But the UN General Assembly passed amendments to the US resolution that included condemnations of Russia, leading the US to vote against its own resolution.

Flashback … This might be a good time to recall the words of Trump, who has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” but has refused to call Putin a dictator, on the conservative radio talk show Clay & Buck three years ago: “Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘how smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep the peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.”

--TL

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MONDAY 2/24/25

What’s Up This Week – Monday marks three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and the 222nd anniversary of Marbury v. Madison, the US Supreme Court ruling that gave the court authority to strike unconstitutional laws and statutes. 

Budget Res … To that last point, Republican leaders plan to put their multi-trillion-dollar budget resolution on the House floor after 6 pm Tuesday, Punchbowl News reports. That gives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) less than a full day in-session to get their rank-and-file in line for the vote. Democrats want restrictions on presidential authority to spend funds while Republicans are not interested in limiting President Trump’s power, Marbury-style.

•••

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité – French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President Trump in the Oval Office Monday to present a European peace plan for Ukraine. Considered Trump’s closest European ally after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Macron will present a plan that would prevent Vladimir Putin from having the opportunity to build up Russian forces in Ukraine again, NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris. 

Macron will try to convince Trump that he cannot be weak before Putin, that it’s “not your brand and it’s not in your interest,” Beardsley told Morning Edition.

Meanwhile … Talks for the use of $500 billion worth of natural resources, including critical minerals as repayment for US aid to Ukraine are in the “final stages” with most details finalized, Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integtration and Justice said Monday, per The Kyiv Independent. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has so far refused to sign the deal proposed by President Trump because it does not include security guarantees, and the $500 billion in natural resources Trump wants far exceeds the $100 billion in grants Ukraine received from the Biden administration.

Last weekend, Zelenskyy made a counteroffer to the Trump-Putin “peace talks” in which he would call for elections and step down as president in exchange for letting Ukraine in to NATO. Ukraine in NATO is the last thing Putin wants in any deal, so there’s no reason to expect any sort of response from the White House.

•••

Musk Fails to Move Germany – The center-right Christian Democrats took 28.5% of Germany’s election Sunday, with its leader Fredrich Merz expected to become the country’s next chancellor when he forms his government, expected by April. MAGA-esque hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party had the second-highest results, at 20.8%, but despite Elon Musk’s fervent support on X/Twitter, it will not have much of a place in the government’s coalition. 

Taking advantage of recent deadly attacks by immigrants, the AfD was first in the former East Germany, but an apparent backlash, according to The New York Times boosted the vote for the pro-immigration, far-left Die Linke party from 3% early in the election cycle to 8.8%. 

The current Chancellor Olaf Sholz’s Social Democrats took a record low 16.4% of the vote, and the Greens came in at 11.6%.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 2/24/25

 The Rhetoric of Ridiculousness

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

In a presentation to a bipartisan group of governors at the White House last Friday, February 21, Donald Trump said so many absurd things that it is hard to fathom that anyone anywhere can take him at all seriously.

He opened his remarks by saying, “Well, we’re in a very good mood. We just had the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had, ever. And actually, a record for a Republican.”

So here are poll numbers available on that day: 

  • FiveThirtyEight average: 48.7% approval, 46.2% disapproval
  • CNN poll: 46% approval, 52% disapproval
  • Quinnipiac University poll: 46% approval, 43% disapproval
  • YouGov poll (February 10-13): 49% favorable, 48% unfavorable
  • Morning Consult poll (February 9-11): 46% favorable, 53% unfavorable
  • Ipsos poll (February 9-11): 46% favorable, 52% unfavorable
  • Economist/YouGov poll (February 7-9): 47% favorable, 50% unfavorable

He must have some other numbers or he feels good about numbers that anyone else would consider to be mediocre-to-horrible.

Then he rolled into things including his feeling of victimization.

In late 2024 Tropical Storm Helene devastated large areas of North Carolina. FEMA has provided an array of assistance, including distributing millions of dollars to families for housing, inspecting housing, coordinating the removal of debris, and more.

Trump: “FEMA was a disaster. FEMA wasn’t there. They didn’t do the job.”

Guess he didn’t check the numbers before the presentation.

But here he goes:

“And then they actually, when they did get there, a very small group, they chose anybody with an American flag or the name Trump on the front of the house, they would sort of skip that house very nicely and it was just a disaster.”

Of course. Trump voters — and he carried the state with more than 50% of the vote — were bypassed.

His alternative to addressing a national disaster?

“It’s called ‘you fix it.’ You take care of it yourselves. You don’t have to call some faraway state and have people planed in from areas they have no idea. They come from Alaska to help you in Florida. They say, ‘boy, this is hot here.’ But the time they figure it out, everything would have been fixed.”

Things have been laid waste and somehow the people who are existing in debris are going to pick themselves by their bootstraps and fix it?

Isn’t one of the benefits of living in a country like the US that there are people from other parts of the country who can help?

What is his real beef?

“It’s very expensive You spend at least twice as much. They don’t negotiate.”

Let’s see: There is a natural disaster. Devastation. People looking for a place to go for food and shelter. The infrastructure demolished. Power lines down. Water systems contaminated by debris. Grocery stores wrecked.

What should people do?

Negotiate. Get a better deal. Who cares if the kids are tired and hungry? Make the deal!

Then, of course, he came to energy, including his beloved coal. “Clean, beautiful coal that we’re going to be using like Germany does now.”

Yes, Germany uses coal for electricity generation. But the country is reducing its reliance on it, with legislation on the books to eliminate its use by 2038. The German government is increasing its investments in renewables, including wind electricity generation.

Trump was big in his support of coal during his victorious run for the presidency in 2016.

How did that work out?

According to the Energy Information Agency:

“By the end of 2020, the number of producing coal mines in the United States fell to 551 mines, the lowest number since US coal production peaked in 2008. In 2020, 40 coal mines were opened or reactivated, and 151 mines were idled or closed. This overall decrease resulted in an 18% annual decline in the total number of producing coal mines from 2019 and a 62% decline since 2008.”

Wind, of course, is something Trump can’t abide.

During a diversion into the build-out of data centers that will have adjoining power generation facilities due to their massive electricity needs, he said:

“None will use wind because wind doesn't work. It's just terrible how an environmental person can like wind. It kills the birds. It's very expensive. It's seven, eight times more expensive than other forms of energy. Every wind turbine in the country that goes up needs massive subsidies.

“It's really the only energy that needs subsidy, essentially. The solar is doing OK. So it's the only one. But to combat inflation, I declared that national energy emergency and we're going to unleash the liquid gold under our feet to bring the prices way down. That's going to happen. And again, we're going to have a big part of that is going to be natural gas, which is very, very clean and clean coal.”

According to his very own Department of Energy:

  • Wind power creates good-paying jobs. There are nearly 150,000 people working in the U.S. wind industry across all 50 states, and that number continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wind turbine service technicians are the fastest growing U.S. job of the decade. Offering career opportunities ranging from blade fabricator to asset manager, the wind industry has the potential to support hundreds of thousands of more jobs by 2050.
  • Wind power is a domestic resource that enables U.S. economic growth. In 2022, wind turbines operating in all 50 states generated more than 10% of the net total of the country’s energy. That same year, investments in new wind projects added $20 billion to the U.S. economy.
  • Wind power is a clean and renewable energy source. Wind turbines harness energy from the wind using mechanical power to spin a generator and create electricity. Not only is wind an abundant and inexhaustible resource, but it also provides electricity without burning any fuel or polluting the air. Wind energy in the United States helps avoid 336 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually — equivalent to the emissions from 73 million cars.
  • Wind power benefits local communities. Wind projects deliver an estimated $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments each year. Communities that develop wind energy can use the extra revenue to put towards school budgets, reduce the tax burden on homeowners, and address local infrastructure projects.
  • Wind turbines work in different settings. Wind energy generation fits well in agricultural and multi-use working landscapes. Wind energy is easily integrated in rural or remote areas, such as farms and ranches or coastal and island communities, where high-quality wind resources are often found.

And, yes:

  • Wind power is cost-effective. Land-based, utility-scale wind turbines provide one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today. Furthermore, wind energy’s cost competitiveness continues to improve with advances in the science and technology of wind energy.

This sounds like it is the absolute MAGA energy miracle.

How long do you think that web page is going to stay up?

While rhapsodizing about the wonders of DOGE, he said this:

“$50 million for condoms for Hamas. They [meaning the U.S. government] gave $50 million; it worked out so well they gave another $50 million a little bit later. Condoms, $100 million for Hamas.”

This has been debunked for weeks, but Trump keeps saying it, lack of evidence notwithstanding.

Then there’s Social Security.

“We have 4.7 million Social Security numbers, people from the age of 100 to 109. So, if you're 100 to 109, we have 4.7 million people on our Social Security rolls, right?”

And while this is a bit hard to understand:

“From 110 to 119, you have 3.6 -- these are the people on the rolls. Now we're looking to see whether or not they've been paid, because if they've been paid, then you're just using those numbers to take out the money, all the money that's paid to those people. 3.47 million people from the age of 120 to 129. 3.9 million people aged 130 to 139. 3.5 million people aged 140 years old to 149 years old.”

That’s more than 19 million people who are rather old.

The implication is that these people are (a) probably dead and (b) getting Social Security benefits.

If Elon and his minions can save the spend on that, it is even better than not providing Hamas with condoms.

And it is equally fanciful.

According to the Social Security Administration, the number of people who received Social Security benefits in December 2024 who are age 99 and over is 89,106.

There is much, much more in Trump’s presentation to the governors.

Why is it that he can say such nonsense and not get questioned?

It used to be that even if it required a grain of salt, what our leaders told us was generally true.  But Trump’s riffs are often readily identified as being otherwise. Were Obama to have said these things he would have been called a liar. Were Biden to have, he would have been described as senile.

But Trump?

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MONDAY 2/24/25

Trump’s Alarming Behavior

Commentary by Sharon Lintner

With every headline, everyday, we are being saturated by Trump.

It's as if he is trying to outdo himself every day. Recently he referred to himself as "King." Absolutely outrageous. Apparently, being president of the United States isn't a high enough honor for a narcissist. 

This man has made a complete mockery of the highest office in our land. From hanging his own mug shot in the White House to disrespecting foreign leaders, he has destroyed our country's credibility in just a few short weeks. 

Trump's partner in chaos, Elon Musk, recently referred to the commander of the International Space Station as "fully retarded."  Some say Musk is brilliant, but he's not smart enough to choose a more civilized, appropriate response than that? Elementary kids are punished if they use such bullying and demeaning terms, yet we are expected to tolerate it from government officials. 

Trump's behavior is not only unprecedented, it’s alarming. This is simply not normal. 

He is placing our country in jeopardy. If he can no longer appropriately discharge the duties of this office, Congress has an obligation to act.

They have an obligation to save the United States of America. 

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FRIDAY 2/21/25

Will Democrats Stifle the GOP’s Budget?

By Todd Lassa

The Senate adopted a budget framework for a border security and defense package early Friday morning, 52-48, after pulling an all-nighter, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joining the Democratic minority in voting “nay.” Debate over the framework, which will allow Senate Republicans to pass a budget with a simple majority, reveals “cracks” in GOP unity, Roll Call reports. House Republicans have an even rougher road ahead. 

“We’re one step closer to fixing a problem that all Americans want to fix,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, stressing the need for a quick border security funding boost. 

With even Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) defying his party by voting for several failed Democratic amendments, Democrats now face the question of how they might be able to manipulate the likelihood both the Senate and the House will push the fight up to March 14, when the continuing resolution funding the federal government expires. (Hawley is more of a “populist” according to Roll Call, less a Musk-AGA Republican.)

Democrats do not want a government shutdown, but neither does the Trump White House, despite DOGE’s efforts so far. President Trump prefers the House GOP’s “one big, beautiful bill.”

Beside Hawley’s defection, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) also sometimes voted with Democrats, according to Roll Call. 

Among the failed Democratic amendments was one offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, designed to block tax cuts for billionaires while food prices are increasing.

“Families lose, and billionaires win,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), ranking member of the Budget Committee. 

To the House … The House next week takes up its version of the budget resolution, which allows for the tax cut extension and adds $300 billion to border control and defense budgets while adding $4.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will pull all the stops to get his 217 fellow Republican Congress members to pass “one big, beautiful bill” – but he has just a three-vote margin over House Democrats. 

•••

It’s Day One -- The Senate confirmed President Trump’s retribution enforcer, Kash Patel, as FBI director Thursday by 51-49 vote. Two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine, voted with all Democratic senators against Patel’s confirmation (per The Hill).

Even before Trump’s official nomination of him, Patel vowed to shut down the FBI on day one and remodel its Washington headquarters into a museum of the “deep state.”

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FRIDAY 2/21/25

Glug . . . glug . . . glug

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

Donald Trump’s approval rating is, as they say, “underwater.”

His overall job approval is at 45% according to Gallup polling February 3-16. The disapproval is at 51% and a sizable 5% have no opinion.

Yes, there really must be people living under rocks.

Of course, those numbers are “macro” in that they include Republicans, Democrats and independents.

It should surprise no one — except those who remember when Republicans actually stood for the rule of law, states’ rights, defending democracy, free trade, and things of that nature — that the overall Trump job approval is 93% among Republicans.

Four percent of Democrats give him a thumb’s up.

Still, that means 96% disapprove, unless there are a number of Dems with no opinion, which is unlikely but possible.

But what should be somewhat concerning to Trump are the numbers put up by the independents, which have him down.

Yes, down overall, with 37% approving of the job he’s doing.

More troubling are the numbers in individual categories of performance.

There’s no treading water found there.

On the subject of immigration, 40% of independents approve of his job. Think of it: this was one of Trump’s primary campaign issues and only 40% of independents give him a nod.

And it goes south from there:

  • Foreign affairs:               37%
  • Foreign trade:                 33%
  • Economy:                      31%
  • Situation in Middle East:  33%
  • Situation in Ukraine:       33%

Look at the approval number for Trump’s work on the economy: 31%. The economy along with immigration were his primary boasts and the independents aren’t seeing it.

It is surprising that foreign affairs is so high, given his alienation of long-time allies of the US.

The Middle East is still roiling. The situation in Ukraine is getting worse with his embrace of Putin and attacks on Zelenskyy. (This may go back to his “perfect” phone call with Zelenskyy in July 2019 when Trump wanted him to investigate Joe Biden and to look into whether Hillary Clinton’s email server was in Ukraine. Zelenskyy demurred.)

One could argue that if things continue as they are, the independents are going to become even less approving.

While it isn’t precisely known how many actual independents there are (some may claim to be independent but more reliability lean Republican or Democratic), what is known is that they are important — possibly more important now, given how the supporters of the two traditional parties are walking in lockstep (or to go back to the theme of this, they are in the pool together synchronized swimming, except that the Olympic sport is graceful and on both sides grace is lacking).

If the support wanes further, then some of these independents are going to let their congressional representatives know that they aren’t happy. Unhappiness in their districts may be more concerning to them than a frown from Trump. 

When the tariffs start putting incredible pressure on family budgets, as inflation inches up because of them, when people start losing their jobs at the labs and research institutions that once received support from the Federal government before DOGE decided that support is unnecessary, when families that depended on school programs of various types for their kids . . . when these and other factors kick in hard, Trump may find himself to be unable to weave his way out of the negativity that will come his way like a tsunami.

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FRIDAY 2/21/25