An elderly lady friend of mine, who was a medical doctor in Ukraine and immigrated to America some fifteen years, brought my attention to a particular moment during the recent presidential circus debate where Donald Trump’s behavior was anything but presidential. There was a point which particularly impacted my friend since she lives emotionally in the land she left, when Joe Biden accused Donald Trump of being Putin’s puppy. Trump did not deny the accusation. Instead he interrupted and tried to go after Biden’s son at which point the moderator stepped in. The lack of a denial was not an oversight nor was it calculated. For me, it was an impulsive non-responsive reaction by the accused who could not bring himself to offend his master with a denial.
Debates are evaluated normally by who won. Naturally each debater tries to spin the effect and result through his undiscriminating supporters. In this instance Trump supporters such as Rick Santorum on CNN had to admit reluctantly that Trump was badly hurt. Even the loquacious and manifestly primitive Sean Hannity had to stretch to reach silver linings by spouting out that Trump showed himself to be a real fighter. So does a pit bull but that does not make him presidential
The ultimate irony was that several Trump apologists accused Biden of being disrespectful to the President of the United States. An image of a pot and kettle appears applicable. I cannot imagine a rational semi educated person awarding this debate to Trump.
Since somehow I have ventured into the canine world with puppies and pit bulls I will continue briefly with these metaphors. My doctor friend from Ukraine went on to explain that the Ukrainian translation of puppy “tsusyk” represented one subservient and dependent upon his master. I pointed out that a puppy is not always obedient. She responded that they can be trained in order to garner favors. There was a momentary hesitancy on my part but then I admonished her and vicariously Joe Biden for offending puppies. Trump is not Putin’s puppy.
Donald Trump is a sycophant for Putin. That sycophancy results in his becoming an ally and apologist for Putin with a motive to ultimately use that relationship to aggrandize himself. This is without regard for morality or the well being of other people. Calling him a puppy is just plain wrong. After all puppies are trained to distinguish eventually between right and wrong. Trump is unable to do so and he is 74 years old. Training him now is out of the question. Besides dogs have an inherent instinct for faithfulness. That is another character trait Trump does not possess. Check his biography.
Plain and simple Trump is an immoral narcissist with no integrity or relationship with concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong. He cares not for America, other Americans nor for others. He does not recognize Ukraine as being in his own personal interest because it is not. It offers Trump nothing personally. Geo-strategic ally, keystone in the arch as former National Security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski identified Ukraine is relevant terminology for American political interests, but that has nothing to do with Trump. He is obsessed with North Korea’s murderous strongman because establishing a relationship with North Korea may provide a pathway for a Nobel peace prize and personal glory for Donald Trump. He cares and has for a longtime in the past cared for Vladimir Putin because he wants to do business in Moscow and construct a tower there bearing his name, plain and simple. Unlike a puppy he is not trainable because he has been trained to be strictly out for himself. His own sister has made that observation. There is no influencing him unless you act as corruptly as he does.
Frankly, Joe Biden misspoke during the debate. Instead of puppy he probably meant to say puppet. That would have been more on target and less disrespectful to the canine community.
September 30, 2020 Askold S. Lozynskyj