Many people are confused about Trump’s intentions in walking back some of his latest statements about Russia, but instead of going with the Mainstream Media flow and believing that he betrayed the Helsinki spirit, it’s better to give credit to this former reality TV superstar where it’s due and recognize that he’s really just putting on an act in order to play the “deep state”.
The most common reflex for politically interested individuals whenever they’re confronted with an “inconvenient fact” is to either radically denounce the same person or cause that they used to support or double down and cling to the theory that it’s all part of a “master plan” that will make itself known with time. This sociological observation is on full display nowadays after Trump returned from his week-long European tour and is now being torn to shreds by the Mainstream Media for some of his latest statements about Russia, which resulted in him having to publicly backtrack on a few of them by now saying that he does indeed blame President Putin for the alleged 2016 election interference scandal and that he still thinks that the country is targeting the US.
People are divided over what’s really happening, with some of them lambasting the President for capitulating under “deep state” pressure and therefore endangering the Helsinki spirit of Great Power rapprochement that looked so promising just recently while others are adamant that Trump’s still in control of everything and is just playing along as part of a “master plan”. For as widely ridiculed as the last-mentioned explanation often is whenever it’s used, especially whenever Palestine supporters evoke it when trying to explain away President Putin’s strategic alliance with Israel and recent establishment of a de-facto protectorate over it together with the US, it actually seems to be the most plausible interpretation of events in this instance, and there are good reasons to believe so.
The first thing to recognize is that Trump’s private tête-à-tête with President Putin drove the “deep state” insane because they have no idea what he said to his Russian counterpart, though at the same time taking advantage of this ambiguity to fear monger to the manipulated masses that he might have committed “treason”. Trump probably did in fact cut some high-level deals with President Putin related to Syria, the most public of which concerns Israel’s newfound de-facto joint protectorate status, but whatever else might have been agreed upon remains a secret for now that will likely reveal itself with time and through subsequent actions. This infuriates the “deep state” like nothing else, and it was entirely predictable that they’d explode in a paroxysm of rage the moment he returned to the US.
It’s here where the second related point comes into play, and it’s that Trump is a reality TV superstar who’s already established a well-earned reputation for acting, and he may have told President Putin that he’d have to put on a show once he gets back home but to not believe anything that he sees in front of the cameras because whatever deal the two reached will still be respected. This wouldn’t be too surprising to the Russian leader since he and other government officials have occasionally quipped about the overpowering role that the permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies (“deep state”) have in determining American foreign policy, but he might have given Trump the benefit of the doubt and trusted him after establishing a solid rapport during their two-hour private talks.
After all, if both leaders are sincere in their desire to reboot their relations – and there’s nothing to indicate that they aren’t, especially in Trump’s case because of the heavy pressure that he continues to be put under as he courageously attempts to advance his vision – then it would be standard protocol for them to agree to something behind closed doors while behaving differently in public for appearance’s sake, especially to thwart sabotage attempts from malicious third parties such as the “deep state”. With this in mind, it’s reasonable to conclude that Trump isn’t betraying the Helsinki spirit, but is playing the deep state, publicly parroting some of their talking points but sending nuanced signals to his base that this isn’t what he truly thinks and is only acting otherwise because of the pressure put upon him.
It’s difficult to forecast how all of this will end because the “deep state”, or at least some of its representatives, probably knows that Trump’s lying, which is why they’re ratcheting up the pressure even more, hoping that he slips up and spills the beans on something that he isn’t supposed to, which could then be held up as “proof” that he committed “treason”. That said, Trump is a consummate professional in both the business and acting spheres, the first of which is pertinent because it means that he’ll keep his word to President Putin while the second relates to the means that he’ll use in doing so by deflecting “deep state” pressure through publicly deceptive statements. If all goes according to what is legitimately a “master plan”, then global geopolitics will veritably change for the better as a result.
DISCLAIMER: The author writes for this publication in a private capacity which is unrepresentative of anyone or any organization except for his own personal views. Nothing written by the author should ever be conflated with the editorial views or official positions of any other media outlet or institution.
