CNN Jabs at Trump: "He Was a Thug" — He Is Making America Like Himself; From a Deal with Putin to Live Executions… Can Voters Save America?

In a critical report on Donald Trump's policies, CNN lashed out at his approach to wielding power, using the sarcastic subheading "He Was a Thug" and publishing an image of the US president. The report covers everything from a deal with Putin to supply Russian diesel to global markets, to a plan for live broadcast executions and intensified crackdowns on migrants, and ultimately raises the question of whether voters can prevent America from being transformed.

According to Ambassador Arjan, CNN wrote in an analytical report: Trump wants to turn America into a country similar to himself; But voters will soon judge his track record in changing the face of American government and the way it exercises its power at home and abroad. Three controversial issues show how Trump's willingness to use coercive power and his deal-oriented approach are changing the nature of America and how the rest of the world views this country.

Since the end of World War II, America has presented itself as a supporter of democracy. But by agreeing to supply Russian diesel to world markets, Trump gives a big favor to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, who is an authoritarian leader; The same leader who has carried out deadly attacks against civilians in the war to crush Ukraine's independence.

On the other hand, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegst is following the plan to broadcast live the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad. The implementation of such a plan can place the United States alongside countries and groups that use public executions.

On the other hand, the shooting by federal agents in New York last week of a citizen of the Dominican Republic, while a five-year-old child was in the car, is the latest example of the violent display of government power in the public space; That too in a situation where the repression of immigrants and the process of their deportation has intensified.

Each of these events has provoked political reactions and opposition and raised serious questions about the unrestrained use of presidential powers and the erosion of legal and behavioral standards; Questions about how, in the end, the collective conscience of American society will cope with these developments.

However, all three events stem directly from the personality of a president who, when elected in two democratic elections, made no secret of his intentions and represents the views of tens of millions of American citizens.

The US midterm elections are largely influenced by rising food and housing prices, negative reactions to artificial intelligence data centers, and public anger over the war with Iran.

But this election is also important from another angle: a decade has passed since Trump's first victory in the presidential election, and the upcoming election indirectly provides an opportunity to evaluate his efforts; Attempts to redefine America's national greatness in the 21st century, based on its own unique, militant and unorthodox values.

Growing concerns about the gas deal with Russia, the possibility of a live broadcast of an execution and the activities of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be signs that Trump's political influence is waning as he approaches the second half of his presidency.

Donald Trump's agreement with Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to international markets is a clear example of the implementation of the "America First" policy and the US president's tendency to use foreign policy to advance his political goals.

This action breaks the system of international sanctions that had put pressure on Moscow's economy after Russia's attack on Ukraine; It would be a huge publicity victory for Putin and once again demonstrate Trump's pattern of dealing with the Kremlin's powerful leader.

The agreement also deals a new blow to the morale of Ukrainian civilians who are facing the escalation of Russian attacks. In the latest example, at least 33 people died in the attack on two public buses.

On the other hand, this action creates a big gap between America and its allies in NATO; It is in the situation that Moscow is accused of carrying out a campaign of sabotage, harassment and violation of the airspace of European countries. The Dutch defense minister called Russia "our enemy" last week.

Meanwhile, Trump's call on Saturday to replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a key condition for Moscow, will reignite concerns about his alignment with the Kremlin's war aims. These concerns have been exacerbated before, after Trump did not authorize the production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine.

However, Trump's decision has a logical explanation.

He is in political and economic trouble; Because the price of diesel has reached unprecedented records and has put pressure on the American agricultural sector and increased the price of food. The major part of this situation is caused by the war that Trump has launched against Iran. However, it remains unclear whether the deal with Russia will reduce prices in the short term. However, Trump faced an urgent domestic political imperative to do more; Regardless of the costs that such a decision could bring.

"This is another example of our president thinking outside the box," House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, a Republican, said on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday. He added: "Our president is trying to find every possible solution to help the American people."

But Mike Pence, the former vice president of the United States, opposed the reduction of economic pressure on Russia. In a message on X social network, he wrote: "America should not give a lifeline to Putin's war machine. "Now is the time to stand firm against Russian aggression, as we did during the first Trump administration."

Trump rejects the hardline, traditional Republican approach that Pence represents. The American president's definition of national and personal interests is more limited. On the same day he marked a major victory for Putin, who is accused of war crimes, and warned again that he could destroy Iran, he criticized being denied the Nobel Peace Prize again, calling it "disgraceful" and "disgraceful."

What does Hoggest believe people should "understand"?

Nidal Hasan, the major of the American army, has been convicted on charges of intentional murder of 13 people in an attack on soldiers who were going to Afghanistan. The issue is not whether his victims deserve justice after going through the judicial process or not; The question is whether holding an execution in public violates the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution, whether such an action is compatible with the values ​​of this country today, and whether it will finally bring Hassan to the same status as a martyr that he was looking for.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegst explained about the execution last week that it was being carried out in public because "the public needs to understand that there are serious consequences for such actions."

Hoggst advocates a display of power to influence public opinion, and takes a disdainful stance toward those who worry that such actions may violate American principles. For example, he has defended US attacks on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific; Attacks that left at least 221 dead and critics consider them to be extrajudicial killings and contrary to the constitution.

However, backlash may eventually put a stop to plans to live-stream the execution. Trump said last weekend that he would make the final decision on whether to implement the plan himself.

Opponents are worried that the implementation of this plan will damage America's moral credibility in the world and give propaganda victory to extremist groups.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy asked CNN's Erin Burnett on Thursday: "What is he imitating? ISIS executions? "I know there is a death penalty in this country, but public executions belong to the Middle Ages."

Some Republicans have raised similar concerns. "I fully support the death penalty, but live streaming executions is what jihadists do," said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Georgia. America is beyond these."

John Curtis, a senator from the state of Utah, also warned in a message on the X social network: "Civilization declines when it cultivates the desire to watch executions as a form of entertainment."

The public use of power with military methods in law enforcement and emphasis on the government's decisiveness are other axes on which the campaign to deport immigrants is based. An approach that has also had heavy consequences, including the deaths of Rene Goode and Alex Peretti, two protesters in the state of Minnesota.

In the latest controversial case, Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, was shot by immigration agents and wounded in the neck last week in the Bronx, New York. Her injury was superficial and her child was not physically harmed. Federal officials said the officers believed their lives were in danger. According to court documents, the man previously pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny and was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Critics see such confrontations as unacceptable examples of the unbridled power of the federal government. New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani said the officers involved in the incident were not wearing uniforms and that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had "terrorized the people of the city."

But the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullin, in an interview with Jake Tepper on CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday, blamed Belgium for the incident.

"The truth is, this guy was a horrible human being," Mullin said. He was a mobster. He was a member of a criminal gang.

She also blamed Belgal for putting her child in danger, saying, "The last thing I would do is put my son or one of my children in danger."

Mullin's comments echo the views of many Americans who want stricter enforcement of immigration laws; The same people who during Trump's election campaigns welcomed his firm promises to establish order and fight lawlessness.

However, even though a majority of the public wanted more serious action on the border after what many saw as the Joe Biden administration's neglect of the border situation, there are signs that the Trump administration's aggressive approaches could become a political weakness.

According to a Pew poll released in May, 52 percent of Americans believed the Trump administration was going "too far" in deporting immigrants. However, only 19% of Republicans had this opinion; A statistic that shows that violent confrontations in the area of ​​immigration may still be welcomed by a part of the Republican voting base in the midterm elections.

A crucial question that voters must answer

American history is stained with violence and deprivation of justice; From extrajudicial executions and lynching of blacks to suppression of civil rights movement protests, detention and forced detention of people during wartime and foreign wars that killed thousands of innocent civilians.

Therefore, Trump's show of power is not the first example in American history where the government's power challenges traditional perceptions of the country's values.