# Trump's disgusting shakedown of Zelensky **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 28, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940 "2025-02-28T19:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/181 "2025-03-01T14:33:56Z")
Ha ha ha ha! No, the MAGA voters LOVED that display. Loved it. Trump strong! That’s how they think. They hate Ukraine and think Trump is one hundred percent right. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/182 "2025-03-01T14:41:44Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > I negotiated for a living for years and years. One of the overarching problems with Trump’s “Art of the Deal” style of negotiating is … As a funny side story; my best friend lives in California. About 15, 16 years ago, he and his wife purchased his in-laws’ house in a small town south of San Jose, while his in laws retired to wine country. It’s a lovely place on a hill, stunning views. The house was older… I think it was built in the 1970s, maybe early 1980s, I’m not sure. Anyway, it needed quite a bit of work. the patios were not in good shape, the windows needed to be replaced, the interior was dated, you know, what you’d expect. So he started casting around for contractors… and whenever he said where it is, suddenly they didn’t want to do it. Too busy, or didn’t return calls. He was baffled, what the fuck was going on? He had money. Didn’t these guys like money? Who doesn’t like money? Come fix my house? Well, what happened was that years before his father in law had read “The Art of the Deal” and tried to apply it in getting work done on the house. And EVERY CONTRACTOR IN TOWN had either learned the hard was that this guy was absolute ass to work with, or had heard from someone else he was, and so the address was known to them all and anathema. I stress the man is actually quite nice otherwise but by following Donald Trump’s patterns he had alienated every contractor in a twenty mile radius. It took my buddy the better part of two years to convince contractors he was trustworthy and would pay his bills. Trump is doing that now. He MAY get some concessions from Mexico or the EU or Canada… in the short term. And quietly, everyone will turn away, and it’ll take the next owner years to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/183 "2025-03-01T14:42:11Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > No, the MAGA voters LOVED that display. Loved it. Trump strong! That’s how they think. They hate Ukraine and think Trump is one hundred percent right. Yeah, they will never wake up and waiting around for them to come to their senses has been an incredibly corrosive idea. When will people realize that this is who they are? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/184 "2025-03-01T14:44:05Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, they will never wake up and waiting around for them to come to their senses has been an incredibly corrosive idea. When will people realize that this is who they are? It is baffling to me that after nine years, people don’t see that this is what they believe and want. They like Russia. They like cruelty. They like Trump being an asshole. They like the idea of hurting people and breaking treaties. They WILL SUPPORT bombing Mexico - they’ll love it. Wake up, guys. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/185 "2025-03-01T14:48:25Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It is baffling to me that after nine years, people don’t see that this is what they believe and want. They like Russia. They like cruelty. They like Trump being an asshole. They like the idea of hurting people and breaking treaties. They WILL SUPPORT bombing Mexico - they’ll love it. Wake up, guys. Yeah, their fascists and anyone keeping them in their social life is a fascist sympathizer. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/186 "2025-03-01T14:51:18Z")
Yep! Here are some conservative reactions I read on a different social media site: > libs do not like international leader negotiations out in the light of day. Zalenskyy is a moron and overplayed his very limited hand in public. He may have just been Trudeaued. > I don’t think this scene was planned, but Trump and Vanced used the idiots condescending comments to let Europe know they better step up to the plate because we aren’t going to continue supporting a suicidal fool for no reason. I feel bad for the Ukrainians. They better find someone that understands their position. And these you could consider moderate conservatives. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/187 "2025-03-01T14:52:59Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Isn’t it their literal job to have an opinion on things like this? Not publicly, no. They work within the executive branch, for the executive branch - their job is to oversee readiness and development and advise the President and Secretary of Defense. Privately. Their brief does not include speaking publicly about anything unless asked to by their civilian bosses. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/188 "2025-03-01T14:53:10Z")
Also … occasionally, it’s worth looking _past_ a wartime President’s sartorial choices and focusing on what actually matters: [![](https://retrospectivemodernism.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/large.jpg) ](https://retrospectivemodernism.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/large.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/189 "2025-03-01T14:56:16Z")
I think I can explain, but not defend, the MAGA Russian Love When Trump I decided he liked Putin, the MAGA Media started praising Putin for being tough, for being Christian, for being ant-woke, anti-LGBTQ, etc. They made him out to be a defender of their values. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/190 "2025-03-01T15:00:03Z")
Your timeline is off. They loved Putin when he criticized Obama. They loved him before Trump even ran in 2016. ---
**Author:** ![TeroSunbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terosunbear/32/14748_2.png) [@TeroSunbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeroSunbear)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/191 "2025-03-01T15:00:13Z")
Michael Cohen descibed in his book exactly how Trump operates. He bought the cheapest paint to repaint a motel or two he had bought. Then he sued the paint maker, with Trump getting the best grade of paint for free. The Zelisnkyys of the world are just among paint manufacturers and other contactors Trump stiffed. Because he is bigger. he is going to order the world by bullying to submission. Next up: pull all the troops out of South Korea or give us something. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/192 "2025-03-01T15:27:42Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > When Trump I decided he liked Putin, the MAGA Media started praising Putin for being tough, for being Christian, for being ant-woke, anti-LGBTQ, etc. It can’t be ignored how much they have been infiltrated at this point. Russia has been caught paying off right-wing pundits to talk trash about Ukraine, and this is just the schemes we know about, which is likely the tip of the iceberg. And with Trump it’s something even more fundamental, because I’m not aware of him _ever_ saying anything negative about Putin, including many times where he had to do gymnastics to avoid the elephant in the room. Yes he respects authoritarians but Putin is still special within that group, completely beyond reproach. It’s pretty ironic actually…McCarthy was right, just a few decades early and looking at the wrong political wing. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/193 "2025-03-01T15:41:48Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yes he respects authoritarians but Putin is still special within that group, completely beyond reproach. I can’t prove it but it is my opinion that Putin has kompromat on Trump. Something really good. Trump would never be so obsequious to anyone otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/194 "2025-03-01T15:48:07Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Where are the Joint Chiefs of Staff on this? ISTM they, of all people, would have an opinion but, yet again, they remain weirdly silent. Isn’t it their literal job to have an opinion on things like this? The Joint Chiefs of Staff are an advisory group which advises the President, the Cabinet, and National Security Council; they have no direct command over the military services and do not generally address the Congress or American people as a body (although the can be called individually to testify at Congressional hearings just like any government employee). > [@madmonk28](#): > > Glad you asked, I think that the western democracies will need to: > … That seems like a plan to empower and arm some of the worst existing and emergent autocrats, fanatics, and religious extremists in order ostensibly to destabilize a nuclear-armed state with weapon systems that can touch any opposing nation. I cannot imagine a more likely plan to drive the world even closer to nuclear annihilation, especially give [how enthralled Trump is about nuclear weapons](https://youtu.be/gS0eBIzh6Dc?si=Ayi19IvtiWe9FjoZ) and how [he likes to make offhand comments and even threats to use them with shocking frequency](https://youtu.be/DsXobJr4yTY?si=J2Cj5CRu_gvOt5AU), Even in the best case, this ‘alliance’ will only hold together until one pf the parties like China or Iran thinks that they can get the upper hand in establishing some regional hegemony. This is a really terrible idea that is even worse than just isolating the US (and Russia) to the extent possible and letting them melt down from within. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/195 "2025-03-01T15:53:28Z")
I’d think the 1st Amendment means any Joint Chief can opine on any topic they like except for secret material. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/196 "2025-03-01T16:07:11Z")
Well of course, and then he’d be fired. Would it make a difference? Generals have spoken against Trump before. What difference did that make? ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/197 "2025-03-01T16:27:44Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I think he would have been better being more aggressive with Trump/Vance. For a millisecond or so, I wondered about this too: shouldn’t a stand up comedian be able to deal with hecklers? But you’ve got to remember, as James O’Brien (Brit commentator) points out: Zelinskyy is communicating in his _third_ language. I would have loved to see him respond in Ukrainian. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/198 "2025-03-01T16:30:06Z")
Oh dear, I think Trump may have blown his shot at a Nobel prize. Seriously. I think in his tiny brain he thought brokering how Ukrainian piece deal, no matter how disastrous for Ukraine, was going to get him the prize that he has covered with every fiber of his being ever since Obama got one. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/199 "2025-03-01T16:44:15Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > For a millisecond or so, I wondered about this too: shouldn’t a stand up comedian be able to deal with hecklers? Zelenskyy did fine despite English not being his mother tongue, while Trump just rambled and made basic factual errors (like the year Russia invaded Ukraine) and Vance windged about how “ungrateful” Zelenskyy was when he’s expressed his gratitude on many occasions for the actual assistance Ukraine has received but not a “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” for this scam job of a ‘deal’ that gave Ukraine no security assurances, left it vulnerable to betrayal, and committed it to use American companies to extract those hypothetical “rare earth metals”. Trump and Vance weren’t hecklers; they were parasites, and frankly I question that they had any real intention in going through with any deal even though it basically obligated the United States to nothing; this may well have just been a display to show off to Putin what servile little toe-rags they could be, threatening “World War III” to a leader of a nation already fighting an existential conflict. > [@jsc1953](#): > > Seriously. I think in his tiny brain he thought brokering how Ukrainian piece deal, no matter how disastrous for Ukraine, was going to get him the prize that he has covered with every fiber of his being ever since Obama got one. Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize for succeeding George W Bush as a snub to the latter. The Nobel committee would have awarded it to Conan O’Brien if he happened to be on their list just to piss on Bush. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940/200 "2025-03-01T16:51:02Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize for succeeding George W Bush as a snub to the latter. The Nobel committee would have awarded it to Conan O’Brien if he happened to be on their list just to piss on Bush. Undoubtedly true. And if this means that Trump’s successor will also get a Nobel – causing Trump to die of apoplexy – so much the better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-disgusting-shakedown-of-zelensky/1014940.md?page=11)