Putin in Alaska? Trump’s Vanity Tour for Dictators

So here we are, watching the slow-motion train wreck that is Donald Trump’s foreign policy cosplay, this time with none other than former KGB agent and full-time autocrat Vladimir Putin—on Alaskan soil. Yes, the same Alaska that used to be part of Russia until we bought it fair and square in 1867. You can bet your last ruble that Putin will smirk and remind the world of that fact, as if it’s just a matter of time before he plans a little “historical correction.”

And who arranged this bizarre geopolitical play date? Our very own orange-tinted, word-salad-spewing, conspiracy-chasing Commander in Chief of Chaos. Trump has always been Putin’s most useful American, and now he’s giving him the gift he craves most: legitimacy on the world stage. This meeting validates Putin in exactly the way every strongman dreams about—side by side with the leader of the United States, presented not as an international pariah for invading Ukraine, but as a peer, a partner, a man worthy of respect. It’s propaganda catnip for the Kremlin.

And what’s the hot topic of this diplomatic disaster? Ukraine’s fate—without Ukraine in the room. That’s like negotiating the sale of your neighbor’s house without inviting them to the meeting, and then handing the keys to the local arsonist. Trump has no mandate, no moral authority, and certainly no strategic brainpower to decide the outcomes of a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives. He’s just decided that his bloated ego, a couple of photo ops, and some self-flattering headlines are worth undermining an entire country’s sovereignty.

Let’s be crystal clear: this is not just bad optics—it’s dangerous. Putin thrives on appearances that suggest the West is divided and that he still has influence over American leadership. And Trump? He thrives on the exact same thing, except his endgame is personal glory, not national security. When you put those two motivations together, you get a toxic cocktail of self-interest and authoritarian mutual admiration that puts democracies in the crosshairs.

And why Alaska? Because Trump knows it will cause a media firestorm and he lives for it. Because Putin knows it’s a symbolic location that hints at Russia’s former territory, a little wink to his imperialist fan club back home. This isn’t diplomacy—it’s theater for two men who see themselves as historical figures but will be remembered as cautionary tales.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Putin will use every second of this meeting for his own narrative—Russia’s resilience, the West’s weakness, and the inevitability of his vision for Eastern Europe. Trump will use it to claim he’s “making deals” and “stopping wars” when in reality he’s greasing the wheels for Putin to hold onto what he’s already stolen and to plot his next grab.

So yes, I’m pissed. This is not just some meaningless stunt. This is a former reality TV host, teetering on the edge of senility and autocratic fantasy, deciding that the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of Ukrainians are just chips in his personal poker game with another wannabe czar. It’s insulting to Ukraine, dangerous for Europe, humiliating for America, and exactly what Putin ordered.

And the worst part? If history tells us anything, both men will walk away claiming victory. But the real loser will be the democratic world, which just watched the leader of the United States roll out the red carpet for tyranny on American soil.

Julie Bolejack, MBA