Stop Giving Trump and Putin a Pass: Believe the Worst When It Comes to Abusers
- john raymond
- May 28
- 3 min read
There is a persistent, damaging instinct in American political culture—a compulsion to minimize, rationalize, or explain away the behavior of those who abuse power. We’ve seen it with corrupt CEOs, with police brutality, with religious institutions, and, glaringly, with our leaders. But no two figures have been shielded more consistently, more dangerously, or more absurdly from the full weight of consequence than Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The time for benefit of the doubt is over. It should never have been granted in the first place. These men are not “complicated.” They are abusers, and the rules for dealing with abusers are simple: believe the worst, because the worst is usually true—and often not even the full extent of the crimes they commit.
The Pattern of Abuse Is Clear
Donald Trump’s relationship with power is predatory. He lies compulsively, betrays allies, scapegoats the vulnerable, and shows loyalty only to those who serve his ego or protect his secrets. Vladimir Putin is no different—only more successful. He imprisons or kills dissenters, destabilizes democracies, exploits energy and military leverage to subdue weaker nations, and benefits from Trump’s endless stream of admiration and strategic alignment.
Together, they form a grotesque power dyad: Trump, the egomaniac performative tyrant; Putin, the calculating authoritarian. Their goals intersect in one central way: they benefit from the erosion of truth, accountability, and democratic norms. That is what they have worked toward for years.
And yet, the media, many elected officials, and even segments of the public continue to treat their actions as if they might stem from some misunderstood place: Trump was “trying to be tough on China,” or “pursuing peace” with Putin. Putin is “defending Russian sovereignty” or “reacting to NATO expansion.” These are not good-faith interpretations. They are enabler logic—classic apologism for abusive power.
Why We Keep Getting Played
We get played because we want to believe that the people who hold great power over our lives mean well. That they are redeemable. That the stakes aren’t as high as they feel. That maybe, just maybe, there’s a strategic brilliance at work.
But with abusers, the pattern is always the point. Trump doesn’t lie because he’s confused. He lies because it protects his dominance and his master. Putin doesn’t crush opposition because he’s scared. He does it because he knows it works. Their alliance isn’t incidental—it’s ideological. It is about domination and impunity. When Trump shelters Putin, he’s not miscalculating—he’s executing a long-standing pattern of deference and support. When he pretends to be angry at Putin now, it’s only to obscure that truth temporarily.
The current narrative twist—that Trump is “finally getting tough on Putin”—is just another cycle of abuse. It’s the classic reset: a flash of accountability talk, a feigned rift, then quiet reconciliation. The aim is to make you doubt what you saw, what you felt, what you know. But history does not lie. Trump has always given Putin cover. He even admits he did.
Now you have to know he will cover for Putin again. It’s only a matter of time.
What Must Be Done
We must stop giving these men the pass of benefit of the doubt. The same applies to those laundering their reputations: Senators who reframe Trump’s subservience to Putin as a failed strategy; pundits who wring their hands about “tone” instead of truth; voters who wave away years of betrayal because it fits their narrative.
Abusers thrive in the gray zone of ambiguity. They flourish when society equivocates, when we say “maybe it wasn’t that bad,” or “let’s wait for the facts,” even after years of patterns. But the patterns are the facts. Trump and Putin are not political mysteries. They are not ideologues. They are not even tacticians. They are predators—on institutions, on people, on truth.
And predators don’t deserve more chances. They deserve accountability.
So no, don’t fall for the “tough talk.” Don’t be soothed by another temporary illusion of decency. And certainly don’t be shocked when Trump embraces Putin again—you were warned.
And don’t let anyone tell you it’s too complex to call out.
Call it what it is: coordinated abuse of power. And treat it accordingly. Believe the worst. Because it’s already happened.
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