Aha! There it was on full display for the whole world to see – the Trump temper tantrum! A reminder of the “throw-your-plate-of-food-against-the-wall” fit of temper from the January 6th Insurrection when Trump wasn’t getting his way. Over the past month or so, the public has seen an apparently subdued Trump who was letting Elon Musk have free rein with dismantling our U.S. government. Now, on Feb. 28, the public saw a despicable show of temper as Trump berated Ukrainian president Zelensky – a true hero who stands up for his country and has worked hard to get peace and security for his people against Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

When Jeff Bezos explained the shift in attitude about kowtowing to Trump, he said: “What I’ve seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time and more settled.” Well, think again. The irate, non-factual, tantrum-throwing Trump appeared once again and let his true colors show on the world stage. The fact that TASS (Russian media) was included among the handpicked pool of reporters in the Oval Office for the Trump-Zelensky meeting likely indicates that Trump was putting on this awful show for his buddy Putin.

Now, not only are the American people reeling from the havoc caused by the Trump/Musk DOGE breakdown of our U.S. agencies; but, we’re being humiliated by the specter of an administration disloyal to our allies – one that sides with Putin, to the point of voting with Russia and North Korea in opposing a UN Resolution condemning Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. I’m ashamed of Trump’s alignment with Russia. I don’t support it and I doubt that the majority of Americans support it. But Trump’s emphatic backing of Putin, an autocratic dictator, is obvious. Now Trump has stopped aid and curtailed intelligence-sharing with Ukraine. At the same time, he has withdrawn US cyber-security efforts designed to protect our country from Russian hacking, etc.

I’m greatly worried about Russian manipulation of the Trump administration and Putin’s aggression against Ukraine (and potentially other Baltic countries). I think most Americans support Ukraine’s right to defend their homeland. I’m heartened to see European leaders step-up to encourage president Zelensky and actively work on support for his country’s fight. Trump’s flagrant display of temper against president Zelensky, while parroting Putin’s propaganda, is shameful. Ukraine is fighting for their freedom and we need to stand with them. We are Americans who value our freedom – like the Ukrainians, we never want to be under Putin’s thumb.

Donna Smith

Enumclaw