I hope everybody, especially those who believe in Trump, understands what happened to Trump when Putin made a prisoner swap with the Biden administration. Don’t be fooled by the feeble sound bites trying to spin this into something else. Below is a humble opinion of what really transpired behind the headlines and sound bits.
Prior to the current prisoner release Trump stated many times that he would get these prisoners released after he wins the upcoming election, boasting they would come home even before he actually takes office. This would happen he says, with a straight face, because of his respectful and personal relationship with Putin.
At last though, Putin has shown his true lack of respect for Trump, with this prisoner swap; just as he shows every other world leader no regard unless its for his benefit, being an authoritarian dressed up in a sham democracy. Why would Putin who favors Trump in the upcoming election (US intelligence assessments found Russia trying to influence campaigns to help Trump this year, as they did in 2020 and 2016) not wait three months and do the prisoner swap then?
The answer to the question is simple. Putin now sees the writing on the wall, with Kamala Harris carrying on for Joe Biden in the presidential race; that Trump is now going to lose in November and it benefits him more to do the prisoner swap now instead of going down with a sinking ship later.
What other world leader friends like this (tyrants, dictators, authoritarian) does Trump thinks he has that won’t do exactly the same thing as Putin did, only caring about their own self-interest. Any world leader that does not govern by a real form of democracy should be looked at from an American prospective as an adversary that can never be completely trusted; but must be tolerated and contained in the world as long as their subjects are not being treated so inhumanly that the love of humanity calls for intervention.
Carl Casale is a resident of the Village of Pine Hills.
