This will come as no surprise to most people, but Donald Trump and JD Vance are petulant children.
It became crystal clear if it wasn't clear before Friday (which, my goodness, you simply haven't been paying attention if it wasn't).
In a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, both Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian leader for not being "thankful" for U.S. support during the war with Russia and told the leader he was in danger of provoking World War III if he didn't agree to their peace deal.
It was a simply stunning moment in history. The absolute lack of decorum from the American leaders, acting like spoiled children because Zelenskyy won't bow down to their demands. Lack of decorum is a polite way to put it. It was rude, off-putting, crass, disgusting, ignorant and any other pejorative you wish to add would sum it up.
They then proceeded to kick the Ukrainian delegation out of the White House and said in the most childish way possible, "Come back when you're ready to talk peace". Like a parent sending a child to their room for being rude at the dinner table and not allowing them to come back until they apologize. It shouldn't be surprising – the schoolyard bullying behaviour of these two ignorant American leaders, but it continues to be because of the pure scale and volume of it.
Zelenskyy kept his cool and walked away with the respect of what I imagine is most sensible people around the world. Which he's had as he's watched Russia devastate his country in a conflict that is in its third year. All Ukraine wants is to be a free and independent country. Russia has refused to allow it. Russia has crippled Ukraine, and yet its people and their leader continue to fight for freedom. REAL freedom from tyranny.
Meanwhile, Trump called the scuffle in the Oval Office "good TV". This is the type of narcism, self-important nonsense North Americans will be forced to deal with for the next four years. It's mind-blowing (or maybe not) to realize it's only been a month of this presidency because the chaos is constant.
And before you say, it's not our country, I'll quietly remind you that this is the man who is consistently threatening our sovereignty as a country and aiming to cripple our economy with tariffs that are coming every month until they're not actually coming.
The power struggle with Zelenskyy and his clear siding with Russia will also put Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in the crosshairs. Smith has been an ardent supporter of Trump since he took office, even choosing not to side with the rest of Canada in standing up to tariffs, instead placating to every wish and desire that the U.S. president has.
But Alberta also has a HUGE Ukrainian population that Smith and the Alberta government have been very supportive of since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started. Almost 63,000 Ukrainians have settled in the province since the war began. They won't be happy if Smith chooses to support Trump in his blatant disrespect of the Ukrainian president.
Smith will have to pick a lane here and she could ruffle a lot of feathers if she chooses wrong it could be a dangerous move (I think given the threat of tariffs and how she's acted so far, she'll try her best to bow down to Trump on this one too).
When Alberta sent $10 million in aid to Ukraine in 2022, then Premier Jason Kenney had strong words of support.
"Provincial governments do not have international development programs, but we feel so strongly, in part I think because of the deep historical and human connection between Alberta and Ukraine," he said.
"We are so devastated to see acts of aggression which are reminiscent of the terror unleashed in Europe between 1938 and 1945."
Things have changed drastically since he uttered those words.
And what I find wild is that less than a week ago, it seemed like the U.S. and Ukraine were heading toward a mineral exploration deal that could END the conflict. Yet, when Trump and Vance got their moment in the spotlight and had a chance to accomplish something real and meaningful in global geopolitical politics, they pulled the football out from under Zelenskyy and went home whining that he wasn't nice enough to them.
It's outrageous on so many levels. Shaking your head in disbelief almost doesn't feel like enough of a reaction to how blatantly ridiculous Trump and Vance acted in that meeting.
But this is what the American people wanted. They wanted the King narcissist and his merry band of loyalists to put on a show. It's a show alright, one with big, fiery train wrecks that will destroy lives and ruin countries. But at least it's "good TV".
And before I conclude, I must send a sincere thank you to all our loyal readers who reached out to me after my last column with words of encouragement. From the bottom of my heart, you are the reason I keep doing this and push forward to make the Red Deer Advocate the best it can be.
Byron Hackett is the Managing Editor of the Red Deer Advocate and Central Alberta Regional Editor for Black Press Media.
