Trump thinks he is Kuwabatake Sanjuro, playing both sides against each other while taking the middle, but he’s actually Harry Fabian, continually failing forward. Or he would be if he watched anything other than beauty pageants and Fox & Friends.
Stranger
Damn, that was a deep cut.
60% of those who lived there in 2014, or including those who’ve [been] moved in since? In any case, the Russians would point out they “organised” a plebiscite right after they “liberated” Crimea, likewise Donetsk and Luhansk.
I am interested in your offer - please send more details. 
And thank you for your attention in this matter.
A strong man can’t act weak, even if its an act, because people realize the strong part is also an act.
I’m always on the lookout to make a Kurosawa or Leone reference.
Stranger
At least you don’t make Hitchcock references.
Que sera, sera..
Trump is easily manipulated by whoever spoke to him most recently. When did he last speak to Putin?
I’m told that I do a great Jimmy Stewart impression.
Stranger
The Atlantic agrees with the Putin Humiliated Him theory as to why Trump is suddenly backing Ukraine:
"Trump did not develop a new fondness for Ukraine or its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not abruptly become a believer in the traditional transatlantic alliances prized by his predecessors as a counterweight to Moscow. Rather, Trump got insulted.
By ignoring Trump’s pleas to end the war and instead ratcheting up the fighting, Putin has made Trump look like the junior partner in the relationship. "
When trying to figure out why Trump does something I’ve found that I’m batting 1,000 if every answer is “ego.” He is driven only by his ego. Putin knew how to stroke his ego. But now Putin is making him look bad which hurts his ego. It’s always ego.
Melania was born in Yugoslavia and raised under Communism. She knows the cruelty of Russia.
She has a little influence with her husband. But Trump will generally do whatever he wants. He’s frustrated that Putin tells him one thing and then bombs Ukraine.
Comedy central used to do Roasts of celebrities where comedians would show up and make fun of the celebrity. Trump did a Roast in 2011. My understanding is that he told the producers they could make fun of him for anything they wanted, except nobody was allowed to claim he wasn’t actually a billionaire. So the comedians could make fun of him for anything else they wanted, but nobody was allowed to claim he had less than a billion dollars.
Trump does value money, but I think money is a proxy for ego. Trump has a very fragile ego and uses money to prop his ego up. People like Trump can’t stand being ridiculed.
It would need to be investigated, but maybe Zelenky offered Trump mineral rights in Ukraine. Maybe other NATO nations offered him a few billion dollars in business deals.
Putin meanwhile is having to raid the oligarchs who surround him to pay the bills. Maybe in Trump’s mind he sees how Putin’s assets have mostly been frozen and Putin is now having to rob his oligarch friends, meanwhile Zelensky is possibly offering Trump billions in mineral deals and maybe the rest of NATO is too.
Also in Michael Cohen’s book, Cohen said that Trump really admired Putin because Trump felt that Putin was the world’s first trillionaire. Maybe that illusion has been shattered since three and a half years of war have basically bankrupted Putin.
Specifically it was ok to joke about him wanted to have sex with his daughter but not about how much he is worth.
100% agree it’s still all about ego.
So it was ok to joke about the truth, but not about the lies?
I’m gonna “Plus One” to these two. Wait… Does that make sense? 
Well, Russia said no, so what will trump do now?
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.