‘At least 83 times during his campaign to return to power, President Trump pledged to negotiate an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours, even before taking office,’ Adam Entous writes in the NYT.

Entous adds: ‘During the transition, JD Vance, the vice president, had seeded the Pentagon with like-minded officials who believed that Ukraine was a sinking ship, that after nearly four years of war America could no longer afford to support it.’

And: ‘In August, gathered in the Oval Office with Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Trump blurted out, “Ukrainian women are beautiful.” Mr. Zelensky replied, “I know, I married one.”’

According to an official this conversation ‘humanized Zelensky with Trump.’

Humanized, at least for the time being. But the future of Trumpism is very clear: Ukraine is a sinking ship—and Europe is as well.
We’ll see who will sink first, Europe or Vance.

(This is almost secret footnote 2017, the other almost secret footnotes appeared on insta, in Dutch. Now they are here.)