Trump’s flip-flop on Ukraine aid could vindicate his overseas supporters
Better late than never. In Washington on Saturday, the House of Representatives voted to approve $61 billion funding in aid for Ukraine by 311 votes to 112. It came after months of wrangling in the Republican Party, with the situation in Kyiv continuing to deteriorate. The extent to which the GOP is split was shown in the final voting tally: 101 Republicans voted for the package while 112 voted against. The speaker, Mike Johnson, who helped marshal the package to passage, said after the vote: “We did our work here, and I think history will judge it well.”
But Johnson’s decision to rely on Democrats’ votes to clear procedural hurdles and get the final deal through may prompt a move to trigger his removal. Three Republicans have already called for Johnson to go — and they claim more will join them in the coming days. The success of such moves will be a useful litmus test of isolationism on the Republican right. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on Twitter/X that “Mike Johnson betrayed America once again” and called for his removal from office.
The speaker’s switch on Ukraine, from reticence to active support, has been greatly aided by none other than the great figurehead of the Make America Great Again movement — Donald Trump. He has previously spoken out against more support for Ukraine in the past and is a long-time antagonist of Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky. But that did not stop the former president from hosting Johnson nine days ago at Mar-a-Lago for their first meeting since he became speaker. Trump praised him as doing a “very good job” and refused to back Greene’s call for the speaker’s removal. Johnson subsequently told Fox News that he and Trump were “100 percent” united in their support for Ukraine.
For a man renowned for his bombastic rhetoric, Trump’s silence can be a powerful thing. He could have made Johnson’s life difficult by criticizing the aid package as it moved through the House. But he instead chose to remain largely quiet this past week and give his tacit assent. He then made that explicit on Thursday when — in a distinct shift in tone — he posted on Truth Social that “Ukrainian survival and strength… is also important to us.” It prompted fury among the isolationist MAGA Republicans. Commentator Michael Tracey argued it was Trump’s “political bat-signal” to congressmen.
Trump’s interventions this past week will be taken as vindication on the other side of the Atlantic for those British Tories who wish to see him return to the presidency. Boris Johnson and Liz Truss — both of whom distinguished themselves in office for their support for Ukraine — have argued he will be a greater friend to Kyiv than popular caricature will allow. It was, after all, on Trump’s watch that lethal aid began to be sent to Ukraine. As Truss told The Spectator this week: “Judge him on his actions rather than all of the rhetoric.” His speech to CPAC in February was noticeable for his restating of the boast that “Obama gave pillows and Trump gave Javelins.”
The former president’s hesitant approval for Ukrainian aid comes after months of prevarication and criticism. There are questions about his stated plans to end Putin’s war within “twenty-four hours” of returning to the White House. But with the Republican nomination wrapped up once more, it is noticeable how Trump’s stance on Ukraine has shifted in recent months.
This article was originally published on The SpectatorTrump’s U-turn could vindicate his Tory enthusiasts’s UK website.