Donald Trump is back in the White House and, once again, the question looms over his presidency like a bad comb-over. What exactly does Vladimir Putin have on him? The usual suspects say it's money. Some think it's kompromat, the lurid kind. But Trump has always thrived on scandal. The real vulnerability has always been his ego, and if Putin has leverage, it is likely not a bedroom tape but something far more devastating. Proof that Trump’s victories were never really his own.
The 2024 election saw Trump storm back to power, defeating Kamala Harris with 312 electoral votes. He is now the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve two non-consecutive terms, a historical curiosity that overshadows the greater reality. This was not just a political comeback. It was a geopolitical disaster waiting to unfold. His stance on Ukraine is hostile, his intelligence appointments are dubious, and his war on the agencies that once investigated him has only escalated.
We have been here before. The Mueller investigation laid out in excruciating detail how Russia interfered in 2016, spreading disinformation and hacking emails to tip the scales in Trump’s favour. While Mueller stopped short of proving active collusion, the links between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives were undeniable. Then came the Durham report, a desperate attempt to rewrite the narrative by painting the FBI as the real villains. But Durham failed to erase the original findings. Russia wanted Trump in power, and they helped him get there.
Trump’s history of undermining NATO should have been enough to confirm where his loyalties lie. Putin has long sought to weaken the alliance, and Trump has done his best to oblige. He has threatened to withdraw the U.S. from it, questioned its relevance, and most recently, said he would encourage Russia to attack members that do not meet defense spending targets. That is not foreign policy. That is outright sabotage.
Then there are the financial ties. Trump’s businesses have been awash with Russian money for decades, particularly through real estate deals. His 2016 campaign was still negotiating Trump Tower Moscow while he publicly denied any financial interests in Russia. He fought tooth and nail to keep his tax returns hidden, only for them to reveal extensive dealings that raise more questions than answers.
The attacks on U.S. intelligence agencies have been another hallmark of Trump’s tenure. He has spent years undermining the FBI and CIA for reporting on Russian election interference. At the 2018 Helsinki summit, standing next to Putin, he publicly dismissed his own intelligence agencies’ conclusions, siding with the Russian leader instead. Now, he has installed Kash Patel as FBI Director, a man whose main qualification is his willingness to dismantle any investigation into Trump’s dealings. Expect the FBI to suddenly refocus its attention on Trump’s enemies rather than foreign influence.
If there was any doubt about his alignment, his hostility toward Ukraine should put it to rest. His first impeachment was over his attempt to blackmail Zelenskyy into providing dirt on Biden in exchange for military aid. Now, in his second term, he has already snapped at Zelenskyy for not showing enough “gratitude.” This is not a man leading a democracy. This is a man laying the groundwork to abandon an ally to its fate.
Even before 2016, the Trump campaign made exactly one major change to the Republican platform. It removed language supporting lethal aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists. That was not a coincidence. That was an early signal of where his loyalties lay.
Beyond direct policy, Trump’s broader behaviour aligns almost perfectly with Putin’s goals. He attacks the EU, weakens U.S. alliances, and praises autocrats while undermining democratic institutions at home. He admires Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un, treating their iron-fisted rule as a template rather than a cautionary tale. None of this is accidental. Putin does not need a puppet. He needs a chaotic wrecking ball who will tear apart Western alliances and isolate America from its allies. Trump fits the bill perfectly.
Then there is the election itself. Disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks targeting Kamala Harris surged in the months leading up to 2024, echoing the Russian interference in 2016. Russian-backed social media campaigns flooded swing states with misinformation about voter fraud, stoking distrust in the electoral process. AI-generated deepfake videos smeared Harris with fabricated scandals that played directly into existing political divisions. Trump’s messaging mirrored Russian propaganda almost word for word, particularly on Ukraine, NATO, and the supposed corruption of the Biden administration.
If Putin holds proof that Russian interference made the difference, that would be the one thing Trump could never withstand. His entire persona is built on the illusion of strength. Admitting he did not win on his own merit would destroy him. That explains why he spent his first term dismantling investigations, attacking intelligence agencies, and bending over backwards to please Putin. That explains why, even now, his policies continue to weaken the West while strengthening Russia.
What we are witnessing is not just political chaos but an erosion of Western power at the hands of a man who cares more about personal validation than national security. The United States is once again led by someone whose loyalty is, at best, questionable and, at worst, entirely compromised. And the worst part? This is not a new story. It is the same script playing out again, only this time the stakes are even higher. The longer America refuses to face this reality, the deeper the damage will go. By the time they finally wake up, it may be too late to undo what has already been set in motion.
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