President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance did more than anger the left when they attacked and booted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from their White House meeting on Friday. They also horrified the old guard of traditional, Reagan-era current and former Republicans who fear the damage this administration is doing to America's reputation on the world stage.
Many took to social media to express their anger at how Trump and Vance just humiliated their country — and their fear that it is setting up America to be powerless in its dealings with other countries.
"Some want to whitewash the truth, but we cannot ignore the truth. Russia is at fault for this war," wrote Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a GOP congressman known for mostly voting with his party on domestic issues but being highly critical of Trump's foreign policy approach.
"Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelensky is risking his life to defend," wrote former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), a frequent critic of the president who was ousted from office over her vote to impeach him. "But today, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance attacked Zelensky and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day — when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for."
"This was embarrassing," wrote former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele. "It was an ambush of President Zelensky. Trump won't answer the question because Putin will not honor the ceasefire. It's not in his interest to do so but it is in Trump's to act like an a--clown for Putin in one of the most embarrassing Oval Office meetings with a head of state ever. #Ukraine is our [ally]. Zelensky has said "thank you" many times to the US. What we just witnessed affirms he ain't the problem."
"No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine," wrote former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum. "It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them. Phony friendliness and behind-the-scenes treachery from Trump and Vance would have been much more dangerous to the cause of freedom in Ukraine than the self-exposure by both men."
ALSO READ: 'Absolutely unconscionable': Ex-Republican demands Trump removed from office after fight
One of the most scathing assessments came from Pradheep Shanker, an analyst for the conservative National Review.
"MAGA simply doesn't understand how Trump plays in places that have nothing to do with Russia and Ukraine. Countries around the world now understand that the USA isn't someone you can depend on when the going gets tough. Trump is weak, and that is what he portrayed today," wrote Shanker.
Trump can take on small-time targets like the Houthis and ISIS, he added, but "If you are anyone that can fight back, politically/military/economically, Trump doesn't have much spine to fight you, even if the fight is worth having."
"If I am China, I am absolutely, 100% going to attack Taiwan before the end of Trump's Presidency," Shanker added. "Because we know Trump won't spend any effort protecting them."
