President Donald Trump has been "naive" in his dealings with his Russian counterpart, and not only has it extended the war in Ukraine, but it has also made him look "weak and ineffective," according to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
David Cay Johnson, who has won multiple Pulitzers for his reporting on the American tax code, discussed Trump's handling of the Ukraine war in a new interview with Times Radio. He said Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, seems to have "no knowledge" of how his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin works.
"This idea that his personal relationship with Putin is going to have some effect is just naive," Johnson said.
"Let's remember, Donald Trump never did a day of public service before he was sworn in for the first time as president," Johnson said. "Not one day. No blue ribbon commissions. Nothing. So he has no knowledge of how these things work."
Johnson added that Trump appears to be trying to embarrass Putin into ending the war in Ukraine, a strategy that Johnson said is unlikely to pay off.
"But there's no reason in the world that Putin is going to be concerned about his image versus Trump's concern because Trump had said, 'I don't even need to be sworn in the second time. As soon as I win the election, I'll settle this in one day,'" Johnson said.
"Well, we're coming up on a year since the election, and guess what? He hasn't gotten anywhere," he continued. "So Donald is very troubled by this. He recognizes it makes him look ineffective and weak, which he is. And Putin has no reason to move from what he is doing, which is part of his whole fundamental scheme."
