We talk about Trump because he took situations like this seriously, instead of just moralfagging about them. U.S. diplomacy from 1992-2016 was based on the premises:
- It's different when we do it.
- Governments we don't like have no legitimate interests.
- Foreign policy tools that hurt US corporate interests are off the table.
- Nothing the US does is an act of war.
I don't know what Trump would have done. I do know he kept us out of war for four years. I also know that he was under siege by the government and both parties for four years, which hindered his effectiveness. And I'm relatively certain that if Russia had demanded that Ukraine not be admitted to NATO, and a guarantee that no missiles would be stationed there that could hit Moscow, the Trump admin would not have responded by escalating with wargames designed to simulate an attack on Russia. He would have done, I don't know what, but something not mind-meltingly stupid. Underneath Trump's public persona was a deadly serious person who didn't treat reality like it was a made-for-Netflix movie plot, and I miss that.