OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Even the people who have disliked former President Donald Trump, and those who supported President Joe Biden, are starting to ask tough questions as reality begins to enter their minds.
Why, if the former president was the Russian puppet that the Democrats and many in the media claimed he was, did Russia not invade Ukraine when he was president?
It was this week when HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher said it was worth asking why Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine after Biden became president and not before.
He criticized Democrats and Republicans for using the war to promote the idea that “everything we already believed and everything goes back to what we already hate.”
He also swiped at the president for “dragging January 6th into this,” and quoting him when he said, “Look, how would you feel if you saw crowds storm and break down the doors of the British Parliament, kill five cops, injure 145? Or the German Bundestag? Or the Italian Parliament? I think you’d wonder.”
“OK, but if Putin thought Trump was really that supportive of him, why didn’t he invade when Trump was in office?” the host said. “It’s at least worth asking that question if you’re not locked into one intransigent thought.”
Even war in Ukraine has just become another chance to graft our agenda onto someone else's pain. Don't make World War 3 all about you. pic.twitter.com/dHlJ5vjKZ8
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) March 12, 2022
But Maher, who has never been a fan of the former president, did take the time to swipe at him.
“Now, one guy we know is locked into one thought is Donald Trump, who would ask what went wrong with Ukraine said, ‘Well, what went wrong was a rigged election.’ Kanye thinks less about Pete Davidson than Trump thinks about the rigged election,” he quipped.
But Maher is not the only one to raise this question. During a panel discussion on “Meet the Press Daily,” MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd talked about the perception among some voters who believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if Trump was still in the White House.
“There was this focus group – and it’s qualitative, not quantitative – where swing voters, Trump-Biden voters, seem to buy the idea that Putin wouldn’t have done this in Trump was president,” he said to Democratic strategist Xochitl Hinojosa, a former DNC spokeswoman. “How does the Democratic Party answer for that?”
“I don’t buy that,” the host stressed. “I don’t think that matches logic, but voters do. That’s a perception issue.”
And this week, after rumors surfaced that Saudi Arabia refused to take a phone call from President Biden, a rumor that the White House has denied, Trevor Noah, the host of the Comedy Central show, “The Daily Show,” said whether the rumors of the denied call are true or not it would have never happened to the former president.
“You have got to be kidding me,” the host said. “Apparently Saudi Arabia won’t even pick up the phone for the President of the United States.”
He went on to mock the Saudi Arabia and UAE heads of state attempting to avoid the president’s phone call.
Now according to the White House, according to the White House this story is totally untrue. They deny it, which I would too,” he said.
“But either way, man, there is no denying that Saudi Arabia isn’t playing ball with Joe Biden. And you know what, you can say what you want, but this would have never happened to Donald Trump. Never. No one was ever ignoring Donald Trump’s calls,” he argued.
“Yeah, because if you ignored Donald Trump’s calls, you didn’t know how he would respond. Maybe he would send an angry tweet, or maybe he would just like ban your country from everything. You don’t know,” the host said.
“That is why I bet in these situations, Biden actually wishes he could hire Trump to step in as “President Wildcard” to keep everyone on their toes. Because if Trump was calling, you best believe the UAE (United Arab Emirates) will be racing to pick up the phone,” he said.
“’Mr. Trump, we’re here, we’re here, hello,’” he said, mocking whoever would have answered the phone.
“Too late Ahmed you made me wait two rings, we are bombing the UAE and UFC just in case,” he said, imitating the former president.
