Trump’s dangerous mania

US president Donald Trump’s latest tirade against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not just reckless-it’s a dangerous rewriting of reality that aligns disturbingly with Kremlin propaganda. By blaming Ukraine for Russia’s brutal invasion and calling Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections,” Trump insults a nation fighting for survival against Vladimir Putin’s imperialist aggression. Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to work on a plan to end the war in Ukraine at high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week. However, the irony is that US has not invited representatives of Ukraine and the European nations ( assisting Ukraine in its war against Russian occupation). It may be noted that Putin had set conditions that Russia is opposed to Ukraine joining NATO and wants to retain Ukrainian territory captured since Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014.Adding salt to injury, Donald Trump’s smear of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator,” coupled with his open admiration for Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, leaves little doubt about where his loyalties lie. It is a textbook case of the old adage: birds of a feather flock together. Trump’s preference for strongmen over democrats is no longer subtle-it’s a defining trait.It needs to be made clear that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine in 2022 and that its aggression began in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea. Zelenskyy was democratically elected only in 2019. Ukraine wartime martial law rightly postponed elections-not due some authoritarian power grab by Zelenskyy as alleged by Trump.Trump’s hypocrisy is glaring. He ignores Putin’s sham elections while smearing Zelenskyy, whose country endures relentless bombing and mass displacement. Suggesting elections amid war-when nearly 7 million Ukrainians are refugees-is absurd.Trump’s revisionist fantasy fuels disinformation and undermines democracy. It emboldens autocrats like Putin while mocking Ukraine’s resilience. The truth matters-lives depend on it.Donald Trump’s unexpected triumph over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris came less from his own merit and more from the collapse of Joe Biden’s presidency-marked by visible physical and cognitive decline that embarrassed both himself and the nation. Trump’s path was further eased by his stranglehold on the Republican Party, fueled by wealth and intimidation, bypassing primary debates altogether.Yet, Trump now frames this victory as a sweeping mandate to unleash his reckless and dangerous “Make America Great Again” crusade. It is not. Americans must resist mistaking political fatigue for endorsement of extremism. Democracy’s future depends on it.His friendship with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi further underscores this pattern. While Modi leads a right-wing nationalist government, even he has refrained from Trump’s brazen praise of Putin or vilification of Zelenskyy. Trump’s authoritarian instincts remain unmatched-and dangerous. Donald Trump’s latest outbursts reveal not a visionary leader but a man driven by greed, arrogance, and dangerous fantasies of imperial power. His bizarre dream of building housing in Gaza-conveniently without displaced Palestinians-shows a callous disregard for human suffering. His desire to buy Greenland from Denmark and reclaim the Suez Canal as if Panama’s sovereignty is negotiable smacks of colonial arrogance. Trump’s attacks on NATO allies for defense spending and his contempt for the European Union have sown distrust among long-standing partners. His vow to Make America Great Again risks making America isolated, disliked and weakened at home and abroad.