Staff Reports
Hillary Clinton, master of the partisan potshot, has resurfaced to take another swing at former President Donald Trump. For over eight years, she has been hammering away at the narrative that Trump is somehow in Vladimir Putin’s pocket. With her latest tirade against him for allegedly “siding with a murderous dictator,” Clinton seems to have forgotten that sarcasm and humor might be lost on her crowd. Still, they’re an essential part of Trump’s rhetoric.
At a recent rally in Atlanta, Trump stirred the pot again by criticizing a multi-nation prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden-Harris administration. This exchange involved the release of several criminally convicted Russians in return for American and German citizens who had been incarcerated under various dubious charges. The situation quickly escalated into a political chess match, with Trump taking a jab at the deal and Clinton jumping on her soapbox in response.
Clinton accuses Trump of wanting to arrest his opponents as he sits in court facing 136 years in prison for a book-keeping charge.
Clinton said Trump deeply admires Vladimir Putin because “Putin does what Trump would like to do.” Among the things Clinton said Trump would like to… pic.twitter.com/JchATcvsU6
— Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁 (@pepesgrandma) April 24, 2024
Trump’s comments at the rally, filled with tongue-in-cheek flair, were interpreted by the former Secretary of State as an outright endorsement of Putin. Clinton grasped at the chance to label Trump as treasonous for implying that congratulating Putin could be appropriate. She dutifully rallied her Twitter followers with a twist on her famed befuddled outrage, unintentionally revealing that she might not grasp the subtle intricacies of sarcasm—a trademark of Trump’s communication style.
Reality check: those who actually listened to Trump—and, more importantly, did so without the selective ear preferred by Clinton and her minions—would easily catch that he wasn’t genuinely congratulating Putin but rather criticizing the incompetence of the current administration’s negotiating skills. In doing so, Trump raised a crucial point: the Biden-Harris administration’s prisoner swap could set a dangerous precedent.
Examining the makeup of the prisoners involved underscores Trump’s argument. CNN’s report on the 24 individuals swapped reflects a worrisome trend; among the Russians released were those convicted of heinous crimes like murder and espionage. This raises eyebrows about what future trades might entail, as more American citizens could be placed at risk by adversaries who now see the potential for leverage through suspect detentions. While Clinton hurls insults from her ivory tower, it’s the American public who bear the consequences of weak diplomatic negotiations like this one.
