1. Card Counting
Our president made a pretty important announcement yesterday: His administration’s position on Ukraine has changed, completely:
This statement raises more questions than it answers, obviously.
By his own admission the president says that his previous analysis of the war was incorrect because he did not “know and fully understand” the situation.
So why did he make those analyses at the time?
And why should we assume that this time he is fully briefed and knows what he is talking about?
Are the people who defended Trump’s faulty analyses at the time going to apologize for their mistakes now that Trump has admitted his error?
How long will this new U.S. policy last?
What does it mean to wish “good luck to all” combatants in a war?
And then there’s the big one:
Are people going to sit up and clap for Trump’s new Ukraine Can Win posture like a bunch of trained seals? Has Trump’s mismanagement of the government broken our expectations of professionalism to such a degree that instead of being outraged by his incompetence and malice, people will just be grateful that he finally stopped openly rooting for Putin?
Oh boy. You’re not going to like the answer.
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features. Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. Cancel anytime.