Domestic Manners of the Americans

“I do not like them. I do not like their principles; I do not like their manners, I do not like their opinions”

Domestic Manners of the Americans, Frances Milton Trollope

Mrs Trollope’s vituperative opinion of American manners in the early nineteenth century caused an uproar when her book was published in 1832 and it seems that Americans have not lost the knack for shocking the world if President Donald Trump’s explosive and extraordinary meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday was anything to go by. Obviously, contentious and ugly opinions can be exchanged by world leaders but this usually happens behind closed doors. The Press conference which can be viewed in its entirety below makes for  shocking and dramatic television, a fact that President Trump was aware of and remarked upon. He opines that the world needs to see  the behaviour of Zelensky and there is a feeling that this drama is intended for two audiences – the rabidly pro-Russia MAGA base  and Putin. The world is shocked by the bullying and berating of PM Zelensky. However the very public berating is the point.

 The press conference starts 2 minutes in and while the body language of PM Zelenksy shows visible discomfort and he interjects to put across Ukraine’s perspective when it seems to be papered over, the conference starts amiably enough with restraint on all sides. That in itself is strange for allies but we live in crazy times. Trump’s talking points are that both sides have seen a tremendous loss of lives (he doesn’t care to linger on whose fault that is), that the deal MUST be signed (but without the security guarantees that Ukraine and Europe for that matter insist on), that the previous US administrations are greatly at fault for the invasion (poor Putin had no agency), that Putin suffered along with Trump for the Russian Collusion allegations and the deal is all he cares for (everything else is mere detail). JD Vance in the last ten minutes of the press conference is the catalyst for the explosion. Vance starts with a lecture on the importance of diplomacy – the irony! Again the Biden admin is the chief target for his animus and Biden is blamed for chest thumping and aggression towards Russia which led to the Russian invasion in 2022. He praises Trump for his diplomacy. Zelensky’s counter with the historical details of the 2014 Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory, Putin’s intransigence  and the limits or hypocrisy of diplomacy sets off Vance who accuses him of disrespect and ingratitude towards Trump. That is the key : personalise disagreement as a direct attack on the Trumpster.  Ingratitude towards Trump himself who is only trying to prevent World war 3 becomes the stick with which to beat Zelensky. Could Zelensky have been calmer and not fallen into the trap? Given that it was obvious for months that this was going to be a very difficult meeting and he would be under tremendous pressure, Zelensky could have bitten his tongue for 10 more minutes. The Trump/Vance double act was set up for a domestic audience at that point and meant to excoriate  previous US  administrations as the real traitors. Zelensky’s insistence on bringing the focus back to Putin was his “fatal” mistake. To be clear, Zelensky is 100% right : Putin is the one who is responsible for all the death and suffering. He is the one who has the actual capacity to start World War 3 and holds the world to ransom on this fear. He is the dictator.

It is a pity that even the saner UK rightwing voices  like Matt Goodwin and Konstantin Kisin are getting this wrong.

My initial reaction to the Trump/Zelensky spat was based on the short clip. I've had a chance to watch the entire 53-minute press conference with Zelensky and Trump.

It's painful but I take back what I said earlier. Zelensky decided to attack Vance unnecessarily. He totally…

— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 28, 2025

MAGA commentators are crowing about how a rude and ungrateful Zelenksy started this drama by talking back to Vance and got ‘owned’. They seem fixated on recovering 350 billion dollars of aid that Ukraine supposedly squandered. Trump and his base seem unaware of the damage they have inflicted upon themselves and their country’s reputation.

Adding to the high drama comes the news that a reporter from the official Russian news agency TASS somehow gained entrance to the press conference  while Reuters and AP are banned for now.

The apparent gaffe comes three days after the White House announced it would wrest the choice of pool reporters from the White House Correspondents’ Association, breaking with decades of precedent. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, promoted the move as democratic on Tuesday, emphasizing that the WHCA “should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House.”

Despite assurances from the White House that the TASS correspondent had not been approved, the staffer’s presence in the Oval Office highlights a significant breach of protocol from the White House. As the White House takes control of the pool roster, the TASS staffer’s presence represents a potential security lapse on the White House’s part.

Though a member of Russia’s state-owned news agency was allowed access to the Oval Office — albeit allegedly accidentally — pool staffers emphasized that the Associated Press and Reuters were not permitted to sit in on the talks.