Master of Capitulation: TACO

For all his bluster and braggadocio at being a great deal maker, Trump in his second term as President has been more typified by capitulation and concessions than any sort of masterminded deal-making. One need only look at his unilateral, disastrous, and mostly ineffective policy around tariffs. Rather than creating some new paradigm of international trade policy from a sharp and hard-nosed leader, Trump’s tactics have been feckless and ineffective, leading to the meme of TACO: Trump always chickens out.

Perhaps the only thing Trump had going for him in his bullish, break everything negotiation style was the perception of his being a Madman who did not care and could not be intimidated. Yet this very premise was almost immediately undermined by a bucking in the bond​s market and grumbling from financial institutions, which quickly demonstrated that when the going gets tough, Trump Folds.

This past weekend we saw the latest iteration of the so-called master of negotiation not only fail to get a deal, but seemingly capitulate to his opposition. When Trump and Putin met in Alaska, Trump literally rolled out the red carpet, and after a 3-hour conversation with Putin has moved the goalposts and changed his negotiating position to once again be more in line with Putin and his desires than our putative ally of Ukraine.

Perhaps this about change of face is because Trump has long time sympathies and even financial ties to Russia, potentially as an asset. Perhaps it's due to the Epstein files, and the thought that Putin indeed has the unredacted files ready to release. Perhaps it's because Trump is sympathetic or even envious of Putin as strong man and sees far more in dictators than in any Democratically elected president. Or perhaps it’s just that Trump, if he ever had it, has certainly lost a step. He is old and feeble, he has dementia and what appears to be heart disease. He is even more ill-prepared and unready for the challenges faced across the negotiating table against a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB.

Regardless of the exact set of reasons, it's clear that after this latest round of negotiations it is Putin and Russia, not Zelenskyy and Ukraine who are getting the most out of this deal. It is yet another sign of the weakness of the Trump Administration and the absolute laughability of the America first agenda (or even an American donor class first). These negotiations seemed far more like Russia first.

Perhaps the only thing that our allies in Ukraine have going for them is that Zelenskyy met with Trump, alongside other supportive European leaders, AfterTrump has met with Putin.  Trump seems to be a person that as his already feeble and capricious mind fails him, is someone who tends to listen to the last voice he’s heard. Indeed, initial reports suggest that Trump has again changed his tune to be more in line with Ukrainian and European demands.

Unfortunately, no matter what Trump says coming out of these meetings it's likely that this war is not near its end. For now we still remain at an impasse with an aggressor in Russia and Putin unwilling to give up anything less than the total conquering of the Ukraine, and Zelenskyy unwilling to consider any agreement that gives up former Ukrainian territory. This bloody and brutal war, now in its 4^th year, presages many of the challenges faced in this new world order of a waning hyper power and the growth of multilateral sources of power. With so many attempts or threats of conquest, it is a dark and unsettling time and we have one of the worst leaders possible acting as an arbiter to lead us through.

I don't pretend to know how to end this conflict. It’s a thorny and pernicious issue with seemingly intractable foes, but it's clear that we need to be a better friend to our allies in Europe and have clear objectives when dealing with Russia. Putin does not plan on stopping until he is either removed from power or dead. He, like so many of the rising strong men of this modern era, show little care and often active contempt for the democratic process and for a government of, by, and for the people. In this, he is perhaps one of Trump's guiding North Stars.

It is our job to make sure that the side of democracy prevails, that the economic incentives push for peace and not conquest and capitulation. If Trump is going to listen to the last voice he hears, then we need to make sure that it is the people's voice that is heard last and loudest. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity, as we build a powerful political and economic movement that fights for peace, for justice, for a world built on diplomacy and laws not on the tip of the sword. Don't shop on Tuesday

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