Trump and Zelensky’s Stunning Fight

In today’s newsletter: Donald Trump and J. D. Vance berated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on live television today. The moment marks a pivotal shift in foreign policy. Plus:

• What will Democratic resistance look like?• David Remnick in conversation with Tim Walz• Subscriber exclusive: Our spring 2025 culture preview

Susan B. GlasserStaff writer

With today’s extraordinary, televised fight in the Oval Office between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky, we all saw clearly something that has been unfolding over the past couple of weeks: the United States of America has switched sides in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The country is no longer on the side of Ukraine.

This is a momentous shift by Trump, one that has implications not only for Ukraine’s very survival but for the survival of America’s partnership with its European allies. Last week, I wrote my column about what I called Trump’s Putinization of America, both in a foreign-policy sense—as in, actually pivoting toward Russia—and also in the sense of deploying an array of Putin-like tactics at home. This week, we see that shift even more clearly. On the third anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump—even before he fought with Zelensky today—directed the United States to vote with Russia, Belarus, and North Korea at the United Nations.

We see that there are real consequences to Trump’s admiration of and fascination with the world’s dictators, autocrats, and strongmen; that it’s not just a rhetorical preference. It’s become an actual foreign-policy direction for the country, which represents a radical shift in America’s postwar view of the world.

It’s a breathtaking pivot. And the question I asked in this week’s column is: What is anybody going to do about it? Where is the opposition to this shocking turn of events? I just kept thinking: the person cheering this change more than anyone is Vladimir Putin.

Glasser’s column, Letter from Trump’s Washington, publishes every Thursday evening. To get it delivered straight to your in-box, sign up for our News & Politics newsletter.

P.S. The final episode of “M*A*S*H” aired on this day in 1983, and set a record for the most-watched television episode in broadcast history. Read Howard Fishman on what the show taught us about surviving amid chaos.

Caroline Mimbs Nyce contributed to today’s edition.