President Donald Trump's shocking rants about his turn toward Russia on Sunday sparked immediate backlash across the political spectrum.
"My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way."
Trump's comments came after he repeatedly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for rising diesel fuel prices because of his military's attacks against Russian oil refineries. Oil industry experts have said the rising prices are more closely tied to the ongoing war against Iran.
The Truth Social post sparked immediate and furious outrage from analysts.
Joseph Allen, a professor at Harvard University, described Trump's statement as "disgraceful."
"A disgraceful message from Trump. He is not worthy of the position of president of the United States," Allen wrote on X. "He is a corrupt, small-minded fool, setting fire to American ideals that have served us and the world well for decades. He is burning it to the ground while enriching himself and his family."
Edin Mujkic, a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, said it was another example of how much of a "despicable human being" Trump is.
"He is shifting focus from the disaster in the Strait of Hormuz and making Zelensky a sacrificial lamb to his base. A despicable human being who never took responsibility for anything in his life," Mujkic posted on X.
Mike Nellis, a Democratic political strategist, posted on X that Trump's screed is a sign that he's worried about the backlash he's already received.
"Trump is clearly freaking out as both parties have universally condemned his decision to remove Lindsey Graham’s sanctions against Russian oligarchs," Nellis wrote. "He’s now trying to argue it’s about some secret plan he has to end the war in Ukraine. You have to be a special kind of stupid to believe this guy’s lies at this point."