Donald Trump is pushing "theatrics" on war, but behind the scenes he's ranting about late night TV hosts, according to an ex-operative of the president.
Soviet-born Lev Parnas, who worked closely with Rudy Giuliani during Trump's first administration, was purportedly sent to Ukraine to help Trump and Giuliani make contacts there for the purposes of digging up negative info on Hunter Biden. Parnas was later convicted of campaign finance violations, and today reports on Trump from outside the administration.
Parnas, who has said he was a "trusted operative" of Trump during the president's first term, wrote a new piece in which he purports to expose lies surrounding Ukraine and Russia. In an article called "Trump’s UN 'Pivot' on Ukraine Is a Lie — and His NATO Answer Proves It," Parnas argued, "The media sees a 180, but when pressed on defending NATO, Trump said only two words: 'It depends.' Empty rhetoric for Ukraine, real danger for the world."
He added, "Folks — I want to start bluntly: don’t be fooled by headlines. The media today is spinning Donald Trump’s appearance at the United Nations as some kind of dramatic turnaround — a 'Trump 180' they’re calling it. Suddenly he’s talking about Ukraine taking back their land. Suddenly he’s saying Ukrainian fighters are strong, maybe even capable of winning. Suddenly he’s 'not happy' with Vladimir Putin."
That narrative, according to Parnas, doesn't line up with reality.
"That’s the story they want you to believe. But as I’ve told you over and over again: watch the actions, not the words," he wrote. "At the UN podium, Trump did what he always does — he lashed out at the institution itself. He railed against globalism. He mocked the very leaders sitting before him. He fed his base the red meat of nationalism, of borders, of isolation. It was performance, not policy."
Parnas went on to argue that Trump's words to Ukraine were just a "sleight of hand."
"And tucked inside the theatrics was a bone tossed to Ukraine. He called them fighters. He said maybe, just maybe, they could win. And the press — desperate for a narrative shift — latched onto it like it was salvation. But let’s pause. Because this isn’t salvation. It’s sleight of hand," the analyst wrote. "What happened after the speech tells you everything. Trump told NATO allies they should shoot down Russian planes or drones violating their airspace. A strong line, right? But when asked if America would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with NATO, his answer wasn’t the obvious 'Of course.' It was two words: 'It depends.'"
For Parnas, "it’s all theatrics." Trump's true focus is likely elsewhere, according to the former insider.
"And my sources are telling me that while Trump was berating the U.N. and putting on his theatrics about Russia and the Ukraine war, behind the scenes he was ranting and raving — pissed off that Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air and didn’t get fired," he wrote.
