# Why is Trump now opposing Putin, when for years he bowed down to him?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Tags:** trump\
**Created:** [July 14, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856 "2025-07-14T18:08:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856/61 "2025-07-17T05:54:37Z")

</div>

Fair enough. I can’t stand either of them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856/62 "2025-07-17T07:38:12Z")

</div>

> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> Trump only does things that benefit or aggrandize himself or his family.

The ‘why’ of a great many of Trump’s statements (I was going to say actions, but he says more than he actually does) really does appear to be ‘because attention’.

There might be other reasons for some of the things he says and does, but it is nearly always the case that he wants people to pay him attention, and often, that’s all he wants.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 17, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856/63 "2025-07-17T14:14:33Z")

</div>

> [@Velocity](#):
>
> The good news about Trump being a narcissist is that Putin is a narcissist too. Which hopefully should make the two of them unable to stand each other.

They don’t need to like each other; they just need some joint cause which gives each of them a perceived benefit. Previously, Trump wanted to punish all of Ukraine because [Zelenskyy refused to go along with his plans to make up dirt on Joe Biden](https://www.vox.com/2019/11/12/20954985/impeachment-trump-quid-pro-quo). Now, Putin is foiling his (absurd) claims that he could somehow unilaterally end the Russian invasion of Ukraine on ‘Day One’, which he obviuosly failed to do. Tomorrow, he may find he has some common interest with Russian and will flop back to being Putin’s best buddy. The only constancy in Donald Trump’s principles is his venality and willingness to turn on anyone who stands between him and more power and wealth.

Stranger

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-trump-now-opposing-putin-when-for-years-he-bowed-down-to-him/1020856.md?page=3)