A Deal Gone South

President Donald Trump hails himself as the consummate dealmaker, a better negotiator and one that can bring people together in order that a fair deal can be made. However, there are some out there who beg to differ with the president, as there are still lawsuits against the president stemming from deals that he made with some businessmen. The impeachment trial of President Trump in the Senate is all about a deal that the president is alleged to have tried to make during his “perfect” phone call with Ukraine president Zelensky. When the president allegedly said “I’d like a favor, though”, that to the average person sounds like he wants to make a deal. If it takes two to tango, the same is true when it comes to making a deal. President Trump by all accounts wanted to make a deal with the new president on his terms, knowing that Zelensky had no real bargaining power with President Trump. The president in his zeal to get dirt on presidential contender and former vice-president Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter is accused of using Zelensky to do something that he could have done himself. Media reports indicate that Trump saw Biden as a formidable foe in the 2020 presidential election if he is the Democratic nominee. The White House denies those assertions though the only name out of all of the Democratic candidates was Joe Biden. As Trump’s defense team keeps asking the question “why” House managers left out certain things in their presentation, the same question applies to them as to why President Trump only mentions Joe Biden and his son.

Trump’s defense team says that the president “was concerned” about corruption that had been occurring in Ukraine before Zelensky was elected. Nevertheless, the president has not initiated any investigations by the intelligence community or by his Justice Department, which was his call. Joe Biden, according to the polls, was not a factor in a head-to-head confrontation with Trump early in his administration that changed after Biden has consistently led in the polls beating Trump. We have heard a lot about quid pro quo, with many legal scholars saying, that is exactly what happened when Trump wanted to “trade” aid to Ukraine with Zelensky: JUST announcing an investigation, not going through with one. Why? Because the President knew that media outlets like Fox News would broadcast news reports, many of them lacking substantial facts, but only to get the narrative out there, anything to smear Joe Biden. The only thing in the president’s way was President Zelensky. He refused to go along with President Trump’s deal because he knew that the aid had already been approved and signed into law. So why go along with a bogus investigation? Media reports also indicate that Zelensky wanted a White House meeting with the president as a show of strength with the U.S., which would have left Putin none too pleased.

President Trump according to emails that the House received indicate that President Trump wanted Zelensky to make the announcement before the aid was released. There was no reason to hold the aid, as by doing so, the White House violated the law by not notifying Congress to which his defense team is only paying lip service. In the emails we see that no matter how many times Trump surrogates tried to get Zelensky just to announce an investigation, he would not go along. Zelensky did not like this “deal” thrown in his face. When we learn of the whistleblower’s revelation, Trump knew that he had to change tactics. He withholds everything that would allow the truth to come out. Zelensky stood his ground. All Mr. Zelensky wanted was a White House meeting, not a side bar with President Trump at a U.N. event. President Zelensky knows that a good deal happens when both parties are satisfied. It happened in the Iran nuclear deal. But if President Trump can’t get a deal done with a leader who is at his lowest, how can we expect him to make a deal with Iran if he doesn’t have the support of the nations that worked with President Obama when he crafted a deal that actually was working? However, according to President Trump, we are “winning”. Zelensky, through Trump’s exposure came out on top, while Trump has cast more doubt among our allies as to whether he can be trusted. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.