Former President Donald Trump addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference crowd on Saturday evening. He covered a lot of topics, from border security, to China, to Supreme Court-packing, to critical race theory, to criticizing Biden. It definitely riled up the crowd. It was just missing one thing: Trump demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin exit Ukraine. It was a missed opportunity where he could have channeled Ronald Reagan. It could have been Trump’s ‘Tear down this wall’ moment.
It wasn’t as if Trump did not address the crisis in Ukraine. He did. He said it was wrong and expressed sympathy to the Ukrainians suffering as a result of the invasion. He also claimed that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he were still president. It is a bold claim, and it might even be true. In 2008, while George W. Bush was president, Putin invaded Ukraine. In 2014, when Barack Obama was president, Putin invaded Ukraine and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
“I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country,” Trump said.
But imagine if Trump had taken it one step further. Instead of criticizing Biden’s failures, he could have issued challenges of his own — as if he were still the leader of the free world. Imagine touting before the CPAC crowd that the United States is still the beacon of liberty in the world. It would have sent shockwaves through the country, Putin, and, most importantly, the people of Ukraine, who are enduring unfathomable hardships right now. It would have shown boldness, bravado, and leadership.
Trump was known for his outspokenness while president. He was championed by his supporters for being courageous enough to speak out against injustices domestic and abroad. He directly challenged Iran. He challenged ISIS. He stood against China taking advantage of the U.S. He should have done it again while speaking at CPAC.
“It is an outrage, and it should never have been allowed to occur, we are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” Trump said regarding the Ukrainian crisis.
Trump appropriately labeled Putin’s invasion an outrage. Even better, he stated the invasion should have never been allowed to occur. He just should have taken one more symbolic step in the speech and demanded Putin leave Ukraine. Trump could have been the heroic leader emphasizing that the United States is the shining light and the signal of freedom against Putin’s invasive forces. It would have been Reaganesque.
It was a good speech; it just could have been great.
