12 Jul The Manchurian Candidate
“Is there a 21st Century ‘Robert Shaw’?” – The Lonely Realist
On a recent visit to the United Kingdom, The Lonely Realist was lured into conversations by a number of determined Londoners who asked how Americans can tolerate a President who, they allege, is a “Russian asset” – by which they meant “a reliable friend of Russia who does favors.” In several eye-popping conversations, TLR was presented with the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is a pivotal Russian asset in a long-term plan to weaken Europe’s alliance with America. TLR had previously read those very same claims made by former KGB officer Alnur Mussayev and journalist Craig Unger, both of whom alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in the 1980s and, since then, has been supported (financially and otherwise) by Russian intelligence interests. TLR accordingly asked his newfound London acquaintances whether their views were based on the Mussayev and Unger allegations (which had been posted on X by British conservative MP Graham Stuart)…, but for which there was no hard evidence. All claimed to have come to their “Russian asset” conclusion based on the President’s actions and not on Facebook, X posts or other sources.
The Londoners focused their arguments on the speeches made, posts written and actions taken by President Trump. Their departure point was his 2018 statement after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in which he was asked if he believed the conclusions reached by America’s intelligence agencies or, instead, trusted Putin ‘s denial of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.” That statement had been widely reported in the UK and had triggered adverse editorials that relied in part on Senator John McCain’s criticism that “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant” and Senator Lindsey Graham’s tweet that President Trump had “missed the opportunity… to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling.”
The Londoners’ concerns had rocketed with President Trump’s failure to fulfill his 2024 campaign pledge to quickly end the Ukraine War by leveraging concessions from both sides. To their surprise, in February, the Trump Administration instead joined Russia, Belarus, and North Korea (the Axis of America’s Enemies) in opposing a UN resolution condemning Moscow for starting the war. That was followed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s February 28th Oval Office take-down by President Trump and Vice President Vance at a meeting that had been expected to result in an announcement of continued U.S. military support and conclude with the signing of a mineral resources agreement. The meeting instead ended with President Trump tongue-lashing Zelenskyy for warmongering and refusing to make concessions to demands made by Vladimir Putin. As punishment, the Trump Administration suspended intelligence support and military aid to Ukraine, resuming both only after Zelenskyy apologized and reluctantly agreed to accept President Trump’s proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire…, which Russia promptly rejected. The Londoners noted that Zelenskyy evidenced flexibility in the face of American hostility, while Putin remained inflexible.
Early in May, in an effort to further appease President Trump, Zelenskyy and four leading European leaders once again proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire which, if rejected by Putin, was to be followed by targeted sanctions. Putin rejected the ceasefire proposal and countered with a call for direct peace talks, which President Trump quickly endorsed. Putin thereafter refused to attend the peace talks, which have gone nowhere, and repeated Russian demands that any ceasefire be preceded by territorial concessions. A majority of America’s Senators thereafter supported legislation that would have imposed the threatened sanctions…, which President Trump rejected. The Londoners pointed to this as evidence of President Trump’s “agency,” noting that Russia has spurned President Trump’s initiatives, dismissed his requests to modify its demands, and done so without apparent fear of consequences. The President and Steve Witkoff have in fact continued to blame Ukraine for starting the war and have been making proposals that dovetail with Russia’s demands, for example for Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, for Ukraine to surrender four of its regions to Russia, and by unilaterally offering Russia the lifting of sanctions without offering Ukraine security guarantees. Moreover, President Trump has consistently castigated those advocating a continuing role for America in Ukraine’s proxy war, arguing that the U.S. is wasting money and that applying pressure on Russia could lead to WWIII. The Trump Administration has been singularly unsuccessful in its requests for concessions from Russia and has actively pulled back from EU proposals to apply additional pressure. Indeed, at the June G7 summit, President Trump blocked an EU initiative to lower the price cap for a barrel of Russian oil from $60 to $45 and criticized his G7 colleagues for expelling Russia from the G8 in 2014.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, President Trump accused former President Biden of “emptying out our whole country giving [Ukraine] weapons.” He described that as the reason for the decision to withhold shipments of further air defense missiles to Ukraine. After again speaking with Putin (on a “pretty long call [that] didn’t make any progress”), the President suggested that he wasn’t completely cutting off American support: “We’ve given so many weapons” and “are working with them and trying to help them.” On July 1, however, the U.S. halted arms shipments, including those already in Poland…, and then on July 7th did a sudden about-face decided “to send some more … defensive weapons.”
The Manchurian Candidate is a 1959 novel that was turned into a 1962 movie classic. The term “Manchurian Candidate” is descriptive of a person whose actions are puppeteered by enemy interests. Whether President Trump might have been a “Russian asset” is today an irrelevant conspiracy theory. As President of the United States, he is the most powerful person in the world and accordingly immune to any possible pressures. His actions towards Russia and Ukraine nevertheless have furthered Russian interests not furthered American interests. Russia is an American enemy, a fact recently made explicit by China’s Foreign Minister. Russia is a founding member of the Axis of America’s Enemies that is seeking to topple America as the world’s military and economic hegemon. Unless Ukraine receives American support that enables it to repel Russia, Russia’s militarized economy will prevail. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, if Russia is allowed to swallow Ukraine, Russia within five years will be in position to militarily overcome NATO. The Ukraine War is the easier proxy battle for America to fight now…, in advance of fighting it later with American soldiers and closer to America’s home. The President this past week appears to have come to the same conclusion. He announced that he will be making a “major statement” on Russia this coming Monday.
Finally (from a good friend)
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