The Man-Crush: Trump and Putin

It is one of the more puzzling truths of the times we live in: Why does Donald Trump have an obvious man-crush on the murderous, tyrannical Russian president, Vladimir Putin?

The Helsinki press conference is only the latest example of Trump's deference, nay his obsequiousness, toward Putin, who lamented that the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century and followed that by annexing territory from a neighboring nation, starting a war to take more territory, exploiting the internet and social media to weaken the democratic institutions of Western nations, including the belief in free and fair elections, and murdering by poison Russian nationals in England who had fallen into disfavor.

"I don't know any reason why it would be Russia." In future editions of the Diagnostic and Statisical Manual of Mental Disorders, this will be cited as the classic statement of a co-dependent.

What is it about Trump and Putin?

It is not a bromance. Putin is exploiting Trump for every advantage and propaganda moment he can; the love is not returned. Putin's goal is the repeal of the Magnitsky Act, which sanctions the men who committed human rights violations in the arrest, torture, and murder of the Russian lawyer by freezing their assets and leaving them unable to travel around the world. It is possible these sanctions also threaten the personal wealth of Putin, located outside of Russia, as he may be within the reach of the Magnitsky Act.

Dark fantasies erupt. What does Putin have on Trump? Is it the alleged pee-pee tape? Or something worse?

Did Trump's campaign, even Trump himself, collude with Russian operatives in the 2016 campaign?

Or is it a fascination with authoritarian leaders and a disregard for the Constitutional division of powers among three branches of government? Or maybe a narcissistic personality out-of-control as no one has ever been able to tell him no?

Let's take Occam's Razor to the question. It is really very simple, but we need to recall the business history of Donald J. Trump to get to the point.

He has used bankruptcy as a business strategy to jettison his properties that do not produce a profit. He has used it so often he entered the 21st century unable to gather investment dollars or loans from any Western bank, institution, or wealthy person.

To continue, he turned to Russian oligarchs flush with cash after taking advantage of the post-Soviet chaos and state-shedding of industries. Ordinary Russians who were given shares in newly privatized corporations and industries did not have the experience to know how to protect these assets. Oligarchs quickly consolidated ownership of key industries and resources into their hands.

Trump offered investment opportunities and they took them. Now the Magnitsky Act threatens to freeze their investments, that is, they cannot pull out their money or even a return.

If the Russians stop investing in Trump properties, he has no one else to turn to.

It's that simple. There was no collusion. Oh, the Russians tried to help Trump, but like dark-money funded Superpacs, they had no need to coordinate efforts.

BUT! One word from Putin and Trump's Russian sources of investment dry up overnight.

Everything crashes around him.

So sucking up to Vladimir Putin, despite the universe-too-small-to-contain-it ego, is the sensible thing to do.

Now you understand Donald J. Trump's affinity for Vlad the bare-chested KGB revanchist Russian president.