'Putin played Trump for a fool': Internet mocks president for Russia's 'unprecedented' act

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that several Russian drones were shot down Wednesday that had flown over the NATO country’s airspace, igniting a firestorm of criticism against President Donald Trump for his handling of Russian aggression.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin embarrassed Trump 3 weeks ago in Alaska,” wrote X user “Maine,” a self-described Democratic strategist with more than 88,000 followers. “Putin bombed an American factory two weeks ago; Putin [is] now expanding war into Poland and Moldova. Putin has played Trump for a fool.”

According to Tusk, the incursion was the first time in history that Russian drones had been shot down over NATO country territory, NATO being the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the intergovernmental military alliance of western nations. Putin has frequently named NATO as the impetus for his country’s aggression amid long-running talks to accept Ukraine as a NATO-member state.

Ron Filipkowski, a former prosecutor, ridiculed the Trump administration for its handling of Russian aggression by mocking Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticizing what he characterized as the administration’s weak and performative responses to past instances of Russian aggression.

“Hegseth is working on a very energetic workout video to respond to Putin’s aggressive military violation of Poland’s airspace,” Filipkowski wrote in a social media post on X Wednesday.

The incursion was called the “most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began” by Kaja Kallas, the European Union foreign affairs chief, who went on to note that the incursion appeared “intentional,” and “not accidental.”

It’s unclear exactly how many Russian drones had invaded Poland’s airspace, though the Ukrainian Air Force estimated it to be at least eight, according to the New York Times. On Polish television, Tusk said there had been as many as 19 Russian drones that flew into Polish airspace.

“Putin never would have launched drones into Poland if Donald Trump was President,” X user Maine wrote in another social media post, poking fun at Trump’s past claims that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine “would have never happened” were he president at the time. Trump has also said at least 53 times that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office for his second term, a pledge that clearly did not come to fruition.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand said, "Russia’s drone incursion into Poland marked the first time in its history that NATO planes have engaged potential threats in allied airspace, per Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson. Fellow CNN personality Aaron Blake also called the move "unprecedented."