Jacob Heilbrunn

Donald Trump’s love-in with Putin comes to an abrupt halt

In his inimitable fashion, President Trump has put Russia on notice that the era of playing kissy-face with the Kremlin has come to an abrupt halt. “Get ready Russia,” he announced. It’s bombs away for the Trump administration. The Bolton doctrine has now become the Trump doctrine.

Trump’s tweet is being decried as taunting Vladimir Putin but that is what he does best. Trump is turning foreign policy into a game show, complete with real warfare. Maybe he will conduct Twitter polls asking where he should bomb next. Putin, you could say, has run into his doppelgänger and then some.

None of this should really come as a surprise. Trump talked tough during the Republican primary about how America should have snatched Iraq’s oil fields. As President he is now presiding over a vast military buildup. Why wouldn’t he use it?

To judge by his Tweets, Trump is feeling ebullient about the prospect of a splendid little war.

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