Is Trump Getting Even With Zelensky?

If you noticed that President Trump drools a bit when he discusses his relationship with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky you are not wrong.

After losing the 2020 election, never in the proverbial million years, did Trump think he would ever sit in the catbird’s seat when it comes to Ukraine.

But here he is holding all the cards and, while drooling a little in public, he does cartwheels in private and fires darts at a target, which has been on his office walls for years, with Zelensky’s photo as the bulls-eye.

What am I talking about? A little short-term history.

As negotiations get under way in Saudi Arabia to end the Ukrainian/Russian war, the media has yet to mention one word on the fact that Zelensky was, in effect, the root cause for Trump’s first impeachment.

If you recall, in the impeachment inquiry, Trump was accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine as well as an invitation to the White House for Zelensky because Zelensky refused to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.

According to a White House memo, Trump, in a September 19, 2019 phone call, asked Zelensky to “look into” the Bidens. Biden would be Trump’s Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election.

Trump did not really care if Ukraine actually conducted an investigation; he wanted the headlines that it intended to do so. The negative publicity would help his campaign immensely.

Here is some of what Trump said in the 30-minute call, according to the transcript:

“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution, so if you can look into it, it sounds horrible to me.

“I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time. Much more than the European countries are doing.

“The United States has been very very good to Ukraine. I wouldn’t say that it’s reciprocal necessarily because things are happening that are not good but the United States has been very very good to Ukraine.

“I would like you to do us a favor, though, (emphasis mine) because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it.”

Zelensky refused, stating he would not initiate a probe into the Bidens. He said, “We cannot be ordered to do anything. We are an independent country. We have an independent country and independent general [secretary]. I can’t push anyone. That is the answer. I didn’t call somebody or the new general [secretary]. I didn’t ask him. I didn’t push him.”

The Trump transcript was released following a whistleblower’s report sent to then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. An impeachment inquiry followed and Trump was charged with soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election to help his re-election bid. He was also charged with obstruction by telling Trump officials to ignore subpoenas for documents and testimony.

Trump continually insisted he did nothing wrong, stating it was a “perfect phone call.” He was impeached in the House on December 18, 2019 and acquitted in the Senate February 5, 2020.

Now, does anyone out there believe that Trump does not remember any of this history and will play the role of a neutral mediator?

Follow-up questions: Can we expect him to support Zelensky or lean — more than lean — toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, the man he says he trusts, the man he defended for not interfering in the 2016 election?

Might barring Ukraine from the beginning of so-called peace talks be the start of Trump’s revenge?

Will Trump pressure Zelensky to accept a plan which demands concessions — such as giving up territory to Russia — from Ukraine that are detrimental to the country?

While the Ukrainian president says his country will not accept any final pact that did not include Ukraine’s participation, Trump also knows Zelensky does not have the military, political or financial prowess or leverage to reject peace proposals decided by the super-powers.

Of course, we know that Trump is a sensitive man, who never holds grudges and believes to let bygones be bygones. Just ask a host of former Trump officials and supporters, or Jack Smith, the former special counsel, or Christopher Wray, former FBI director. The latter two escaped Trump’s wrath by resigning before the president could take his revenge.

After being indicted in 2023, he declared at a rally, “…[F]or those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Surely, Trump feels he has been “wronged and betrayed” by many. He has told us that countless times. And there can be little doubt that Trump believes Zelensky did him an injustice.

In any other situation, Trump would be required to step aside because of a major conflict of interest.

While the Trump-Zelensky relationship/history has escaped public notice or examination, we can be sure one man continually worries about Trump’s obsession for revenge: Volodymyr Zelensky.