Commentary

“Trump has Just Discovered He Isn’t as Powerful as He Thought He Was.” – The Telegraph

“Opinion: Why Trump’s Latest Reality TV Show Is a Flop.” – The Daily Beast

“What Was the Trump-Putin Meeting Even About?” -The New York Times

Those were a few of the headlines following President Trump’s meeting in Alaska with Vladimir Putin, but The Daily Beast seemed take particular delight in its headline covering First Lady Melania Trump’s letter to Putin:

“Melania Throws Curveball with Personal Letter to Putin.”  – The Daily Beast

Once again, those who call themselves journalists have shown that their expectation of the president striking a deal with Putin was never stated by the president in arranging the meeting.  He repeatedly stated that his primary interest was a ceasefire that would end the killing on both sides in the war and that a deal would require Ukraine’s President Zelensky’s involvement.

If The New York Times was listening to Trump when he announced that he would be meeting with Putin, their headline would be much different, but then it wouldn’t have fit this Times narrative of meeting failure:

 “It was hard to avoid the impression that Mr. Putin had once again succeeded in gaining more time for his war, which is currently going his way,” according to the Times, adding that it was “likely Mr. Trump may simply lose interest in trying to end the war … given Mr. Trump’s faith in his deal-making skills and his gut instincts, it sounded like he was prepared to let this one go.”

Going into the meeting, the president said, “Now, I say this, and I have said it from the beginning: This is really setting the table today.  We’re going to have another meeting if things work out.”

But that didn’t stop opinion writer David Rothkopf of The Daily Beast from referring to the meeting as a reality show.

“President Donald Trump achieved virtually all of his primary objectives during Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” wrote Rothkopf before smarmingly adding, “But that is what happens when you have reporters covering a reality television show as if it were actual international statecraft.

“That is because Putin has realized all along that Trump was just a reality TV star playing at being president.”

Another example of a “journalist” suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Beast reporter Will Neal referred to First Lady Melania Trump’s personal “peace letter” to Putin as a “curveball,” assuming, I guess, that it would distract from the discussion between the two leaders.  She is concerned with the plight of thousands of Ukrainian children who have reportedly been abducted by Russian forces since the beginning of the war in February 2022.

Putin read the letter as the American and Russian delegations looked on. It had been hand-delivered to Putin by Trump before the summit. 

Because she rarely gets credit for her interests as First Lady, I decided to publish her letter to Putin here:

However, with Putin’s evil background, suggesting to him that, “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone – you serve humanity itself,” is far from his thoughts.

For what it’s worth, during a joint press conference after the meeting, Putin conceded that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could have been avoided if Trump had been in office, a claim Trump has been making since his campaign.

Not giving up on a ceasefire and meaningful negotiations, Trump has invited Zelensky, the leader of NATO, and a number of European leaders to the White House for round two.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.