Yesterday’s event at the White House was meant to be a transactional first step to keeping the Trump Administration engaged in a just peace process and for Zelensky to get some sort of American security guarantee. In return, American companies would get preferential access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and other resources as payback for its support.
Yesterday’s Oval Office press conference was a staged event to politically humiliate Zelensky and was very difficult to watch. Firstly, Brian Glenn a MAGA media rising (DARK)star and Chief Washington correspondent for right-wing Real America Voice asked Zelensky a searching political question, “Why are you not wearing a suit in the Oval Office.” Zelensky responded by saying he would wear a suit when the war was over. Glenn’s political acumen is that he is dating the Trump sycophant, intellectually and educationally challenged Republican House member Marjorie Taylor Greene, who more than likely requested Vance for the opportunity. Vance clearly had planned to goad Zelensky saying without a shred of evidence, that Zelensky was kidnapping young men and sending them to the frontline, a lie, and went on to say he was disrespectful and ungrateful for Trump’s support, another two lies. Zelensky has lauded US support continuously. About the kidnapping, Zelensky asked Vance if he had been to Ukraine to verify this, Vance said no, but had seen things and made a gesture like a phone. Not to be overshadowed, Trump jumped in and accused Zelensky of gambling with World War Three, that he had a bad hand of cards, and doing another bit of victim shaming. Furthermore, Trump doubled down again on a repeated lie, saying that US support for Ukraine ran into hundreds of billions of dollars, in fact, it is $120 billion with half going directly to the military-industrial complex. Remember, Macron put Donald straight on this issue on the Monday before. Should Zelensky have taken the bait, of course not however, no world leader could have prepared themselves for this, let alone a president who is trying to keep his country from being overrun. All this after Trump last week, accused Zelensky of being a dictator. All this again, highlights the urgency for Europe and the UK to get on and build its own hard power infrastructure.
What can be said, is this spectacle or “GOTCHA” moment was organised by Vance and probably without Trump’s knowledge, a moment to improve his media profile amongst the MAGA maniacs and conservative media channels and show Donald his self-worth. Remember, he desperately wants on the presidential ticket in 2028 as Trump’s successor and will grovel and do whatever it takes to ingratiate himself with King Donald. However, Trump when asked, point blanked refused to endorse Vance as his successor.
Vance is vile, villainous, a sort of Dick Dastardly figure, what he thankfully is not, is the next Machiavelli and hopefully not the next President of the USA.
Suneil Sharma
1st March 2025
The Gob 
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