In trying to make sense of President Donald Trump's favor of Russia over Ukraine, New York Times opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman floated two possibilities.
Friedman called his introspection, "one of the most disturbing questions I've ever had to ask about my own country."
Option one: "Are we being led by a dupe for Vladimir Putin — by someone ready to swallow whole the Russian president’s warped view of who started the war in Ukraine and how it must end?"
And Friedman's option two: "Or, are we being led by a Mafia godfather, looking to carve up territory with Russia the way the heads of crime families operate?" Something like, “I’ll take Greenland, and you can take Crimea."
Regardless of the correct answer, Friedman advised that "the America you knew is over."
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He continued, "The bedrock values, allies and truths America could always be counted upon to defend are now all in doubt — or for sale. Trump is not just thinking out of the box. He is thinking without a box, without any fidelity to truth or norms that animated America in the past."
The warning signals were there all along, but recent events brought the situation into focus. They include Trump blaming Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, demanding reimbursement via rare minerals, and calling Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator," among other things.
"Trump does not see American power as the cavalry coming to rescue the weak seeking freedom from those out to quash them; he sees America as coming to shake down the weak. He’s running a protection racket," Friedman wrote, in keeping with the "godfather" theme.
Friedman argued, "A serious U.S. president would recognize that Putin is playing a very weak hand that we should exploit," instead of going after our Ukrainian ally. He added, "Instead of rallying all our European allies, doubling down on the military pressure on Putin and making the Russian leader 'an offer he can’t refuse,' Trump did just the opposite."
Friedman concluded, "The whole thing is just shameful. Trump, in effect, is looking to make a profit off Ukrainians as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine while making no demand on Putin for reparations or promising any future U.S. protection for Kyiv."