The Media Continues Falling for Trump’s Theatre While Ukraine Burns
On this Memorial Day, I want to take a moment and honor the American servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend democracy and protect the freedoms we so often take for granted. Their courage demands not only remembrance, but a continued commitment to confronting the threats that seek to dismantle everything they died to protect.
As Russia escalated its brutal, genocidal war against Ukraine—launching the most devastating aerial assault since the full-scale invasion began, with over 600 drones and dozens of missiles striking in a coordinated three-day campaign of terror that killed 12 people, including three children, and injured more than 60—the American media remained transfixed by the spectacle of Donald Trump’s rhetoric. While neighborhoods were reduced to rubble and critical infrastructure lay in ruins, Trump responded by declaring that Vladimir Putin had “gone absolutely crazy,” even as he once again attacked Zelenskyy.
Within minutes, his comment dominated headlines, was dissected by pundits, and framed as if it marked a meaningful shift in Trump’s long-standing fealty to Putin—or signaled a new direction in U.S. foreign policy.
But there is no pivot.
Trump’s statement, devoid of policy or consequence, offers nothing to the Ukrainians under assault. It does nothing to deter Putin’s genocidal campaign, strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, deliver desperately needed weapons to Ukraine, and nothing to undo Trump’s years of obstructing military aid, continuously praising Putin as a “genius,” and refusing to implement new strategic sanctions to constrain Russian aggression. And it certainly does not erase the fact that Trump is actively undermining NATO—threatening to withdraw U.S troops from Europe, attacking U.S. allies, and signaling to the Kremlin that America’s security commitments may no longer stand.
There is a profound failure in our media. As Russia escalated its terror campaign—killing children in their sleep, targeting homes and cities across Ukraine—the scale of destruction barely registered, and coverage was sparse. The atrocities went largely unnoticed until Trump weighed in. Only then did headlines multiply, as though his vague, performative statement carried strategic weight or moral clarity. And this pattern—where crimes against humanity are ignored until filtered through Trump’s theatrics—is dangerous, deceiving the public into believing a policy shift has occurred when absolutely nothing has changed.
The media must stop treating Trump’s words as fact in the absence of action. If the U.S. sends advanced weapons, implements real strategic sanctions—not performative ones—and coordinates effectively with European allies to hold Russia accountable, that would be newsworthy. Until then, elevating empty statements is not news but complicity in deception.
At a time when European intelligence services are warning of a growing likelihood that Russia could attack a NATO country in the coming years, Trump’s posture is deeply destabilizing. His willingness to abandon allies and appease autocrats sends a clear and dangerous message: the postwar security order that has preserved peace in Europe—and underpinned global stability for generations—is now up for negotiation.
And let me be crystal clear—Putin hasn’t changed, and nor has the leadership in Russia. He came to power by orchestrating the false-flag 1999 bombings of apartment buildings that killed over 300 Russians. He has committed war crimes in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Africa, and is carrying out a genocide in Ukraine. He poisons dissidents, jails critics, and weaponizes energy, migration, and disinformation to subvert democracies. His actions are deliberate, strategic, and brutal—and Trump has, time and again, given him the space to operate and provided cover.
So no, Trump’s latest statement is not a reckoning, and is just another act in a long-running show. And if the press continues to reward the performance while ignoring the real consequences of his policies, it becomes complicit in normalizing the erosion of the democratic world order.
This moment demands clarity—not Trump’s theatre—because what’s happening in Ukraine is not a performance, but a war in which Russia is deliberately and strategically targeting and mass murdering civilians.
Thank you to everyone for continuing to stand with Ukraine. 💙💛
I agree! If Trump meant it, he would SANCTION Russia and aide Ukraine as the United States AND Russia agreed to do in the Budapest memorandum all parties signed when Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear warheads to Russia in 1994. Both Trump & Putin are LIARS.
I am Romanian and have been a neighbor to the Russians for centuries. According to history, the Russians do not stop until they are either stopped by someone or get what they want. The whole 'peace' thing will only happen after they either lose or win. They have never had, do not have, and never will have mercy or compassion—not even for their own people. Trump's game is just another poorly directed theatrical performance. I hope the American administration stops playing the good Samaritan with Putin, because it already looks naïve to the point of stupidity. Unless Mr. Trump is still dreaming of some business deals with Russia—which is not possible and won't be anytime soon. Especially since China is also backing Russia from behind.