Donald Trump is Putin’s dream come true

At 12:41 this afternoon, a very angry Donald Trump walked straight over to the press lined up near the historic South Portico steps of the White House and, with almost no impulse control or care for what his words could do to the entire world, gave some of the most un-American responses to reporters’ questions that have ever come from a United States president.

The entire exchange lasted just 5 minutes and 36 seconds before he abruptly turned and walked away without answering any more questions. During that time, he made it abundantly clear that we, as a country, now stand with war criminals and against democracies fighting for their very survival during invasions and unprovoked attacks. He didn’t even try to hide where his loyalties lie, even going so far as to blame the country that was fighting to defend itself for failing to settle the war.

When he was asked by a reporter about the criticism over his new diesel deal with Vladimir Putin, he immediately turned his frustration entirely toward Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The deal would release millions of tons of Russian diesel into the global market and temporarily lift the sanctions that were put in place to stop Russia from making money that could be used to fund the war in Ukraine. He ignored all of that and blamed Zelenskyy, the president of the country that was invaded, for not stopping the war. “Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to.”

He then told the entire world where the United States now stands on Russia and Ukraine, leaving little room for imagination when he said, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals that for some reason he never does.” Whether he meant to or not, he is using the words of someone who has abandoned his support for Ukraine and is saying that he believes Zelenskyy should have already surrendered his country and his people to Trump’s warlord friend, Vladimir Putin.

He continued, seemingly wanting to make sure the world knew exactly whose side he was on, and added, “And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”

The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, called for regime change in a democracy that is being invaded by a dictator while standing on the White House lawn, in front of cameras, with absolutely no hesitation or shame. That is where we are now as a country. Our president no longer pretends to stand against evil in this world, instead opting to help it grow.

I wouldn’t even be able to count how many hours of Donald Trump speaking I have had to watch over the past two years to be able to write these posts every night. I’m numb to a lot of what he says, but watching him praise Putin and vilify Zelenskyy was beyond upsetting. It took me back to being a child during the Cold War and the sense of relief and hope we all felt when the Berlin Wall came down. Many of us remember, or have learned about, those decades of uncertainty and fear that we thought had finally been left behind, but that we also knew could rise again if authoritarian leaders were allowed to threaten their neighbors without consequences. As president of the United States, Donald Trump should know what those times were like and how easily peace can be shattered, yet he still called for Ukraine’s president to be replaced, something that directly benefits Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s Russian diesel deal was just announced yesterday, and in it, Russia agreed to release 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the United States and the greater global market. Putin has since issued a statement through Russian state media saying the fuel could begin arriving almost immediately. But like most things with people like Trump and Putin, this had very little to do with diesel fuel. If this initial round of diesel is actually released and the United States were to receive every last drop, it would be enough to cover barely 15 hours of our country’s diesel consumption. We already produce more than we use. Donald Trump is hoping this extremely small amount will miraculously drop prices, even though energy experts say it is unlikely to make much difference. What it actually accomplished was its true purpose: to send a very public signal to every nation on earth that the United States of America now stands firmly with dictators.

That is the part that matters just as much as the money Russia will be making from this deal and how they will use it. The whole world is watching what we do, and we just bought fuel from a war criminal while telling the country he invaded that they are the problem and that they should surrender. When Trump could not end the war that he repeatedly promised he could, he did what Donald Trump always does: he shifted the blame onto someone else.

Zelensky responded to this deal by calling it “not fair and not honest,” and that it was a gift to Putin. He is right, because every dollar Russia makes from selling its energy is money that they can use to buy more missiles to shoot into Ukrainian apartment buildings, hospitals, and power stations. Zelensky didn’t hold back when he said, “Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war.” That is what our money is paying for now.

The outrage over what Donald Trump did reached some unlikely corners of his own party, including Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who is the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. He announced that he is introducing a bill called the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” to block any and all purchases of Russian oil. He also said he will use a discharge petition to force a vote on the House floor, going around Republican leadership entirely. Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska immediately signed on as a cosponsor and wrote on social media, “Congress must make a stand.”

Fitzpatrick chose to name this bill after Ronald Reagan, as a nod to the Republican president who made standing up to dictators and refusing to give in to their demands a defining principle of his foreign policy. He is using a past Republican president’s legacy to show just how wide the divide is between what the Republican Party once stood for and what Donald Trump has reduced it to today.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who loves to talk the talk but rarely walks the walk, released her own statement that read, “A few weeks ago, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to increase sanctions and tariffs on Russia. The President should be using those authorities instead of allowing Russia to export diesel, rake in revenues, and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine.” She added, “We can discuss Russia’s return to global energy markets once the war is over, but in the meantime, we need to cut off everything fueling it.”

We can’t forget how just weeks ago, Congress passed the “Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which passed the House 262 to 159 and the Senate 86 to 11. The bill gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas. Trump signed it, and yet he still turned around and cut a diesel deal with Russia.

This is not just about Ukraine, either. It goes beyond that. Ukraine is a democracy fighting for its survival and is holding the line right now for all of Europe. If Ukraine falls, or if Donald Trump is successful in signaling to the world that Putin’s imperialistic aggression carries no consequences, that signal will reach Beijing and Pyongyang. It will let every authoritarian government on earth that has been watching and waiting to see whether the democratic world’s most powerful country would hold the line or abandon it know that they can act without fear of consequences. That is what is at stake.

There is the message it sends to the world and the message it sends to Russia closer to home. Both Putin and Trump have imperialistic ambitions. Trump has made clear that he wants Greenland beyond just the deal he made there, and he still wants Canada. His National Security Strategy describes the Western Hemisphere as something to be reclaimed. He has not been as vocal about this ahead of the midterms because it is not popular, but temporarily pulling back on his threats does not mean that he no longer wants it. It just means that he will jump right back in once the elections are over.

There will come a time, in the not-too-distant future, when we will be asked what we did during this dark period in our country’s history. We will be asked whether we just pretended everything was fine or made excuses that we were too busy to pay attention to what was happening around us. We will have to answer for what we did while they were ripping members of our communities off the streets with no due process and stripping women of their rights. If we spoke out when they were concentrating power, starting wars, and bombing boats. If we resisted while Trump was cozying up to a dictator. We are going to have to answer to our descendants and to the history books. I know we will be able to look back with clear consciences, knowing we did our part to stop it, while still wishing we had done more. Those cheering for him and enabling what he has done and continues to do will have to answer for something very different. And that should give us some comfort during these trying times.

We have reached another new low point for our country, and I know it is getting increasingly dangerous to speak out. I know that siding with Zelensky, criticizing Putin, and calling out Trump by name every single night puts me on a list. I know that if the midterms do not go well, people like me are next. Writers, journalists, commentators, politicians who spoke out, we will be the ones swept up, that is just what authoritarians do. I understand that, and I have understood it from the beginning. But I am doing it anyway because it is that important. I am doing it for all of us. Every single person who takes a public stand against this corrupt administration because there is safety in numbers. If only a few of us speak out, we are easy to isolate, silence, and to make an example of. But if all of us speak, if millions of us refuse to be quiet, they cannot come for all of us. That has been true of every resistance movement in history, and it is true now. So yes, please vote. Vote like our children and grandchildren’s lives depend on it. But also speak out. Get loud and then get even louder.

I noticed something happening more often this past week on social media that I’m calling silent resistance, which, although quiet, speaks very loudly and is something more of us could be doing. Content creators, or what others call influencers, who are not in the political space, such as woodworkers, food reviewers, and pet accounts, are all putting messages in their videos without ever actually saying anything about them. I’ve seen some about “melting ice” and “vote blue to save your country.” I’ve seen them wearing shirts in their pictures that say “F*CK Trump” and “25th Amendment Now.” They are doing what they always do, while also taking a hard stand, letting their audience know, quietly and clearly, where they stand.

This is our time to ramp up our own efforts. To find our quiet and loud ways to resist. We have to show up on November 3, and we vote like the future of this country depends on it, because it does. Getting through the midterms is not the finish line; it is the starting line. After that, we need to elect a president who will begin the long, painful work of cleaning all of this up. Nothing is guaranteed, but there is one thing I know about Americans, and it is this. We always do the right thing. Always. Not as quickly as we should and not without making mistakes along the way, but eventually we do. I know we will this time as well. That is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather

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This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.

Picture of the day: It felt like everyone was spending time outside today ahead of the Tropical System we were expecting. It is definitely here now as I write this just after midnight. This picture was taken right before it started to really come down. I haven’t seen rain this heavy in what feels like years. I think the last time we had any measurable rain at all was over 8 months ago.

Links to sources used in writing this article:

President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 10, 2026: YouTube Video

https://www.axios.com/2026/10/10/fitzpatrick-trump-russia-diesel-discharge-petition

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6140830-fitzpatrick-bill-block-russian-oil/

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6140871-republicans-oppose-trump-russian-diesel-deal/

https://kyivindependent.com/will-only-lead-to-more-slaughter-bipartisan-backlash-erupts-in-us-over-trump-russia-diesel-deal/

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-diesel-2678069583/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-cuts-desperate-deal-with-putin-to-save-magas-skin

https://www.itv.com/news/2026-10-09/trump-says-us-to-obtain-diesel-from-russia-despite-energy-sanctions