Atlantic Magazine Shatters Liberal Myth that Trump is Putin's Puppet

Newsbusters ^ | February 14, 2026 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

Most hard core liberals, especially in the media, take it as a matter of absolute faith that President Donald Trump is the puppet of Russian president Vladimir Putin. However, an article published in a very surprising source has shattered that myth.

The Atlantic magazine, yes that Democrat-loving periodical, published an article on Friday that destroyed that notion. And the two authors of the piece can't be written off as ill informed. Both Thomas Graham and Alan Cullison are members of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, Graham is the author of "Getting Russia Right" and Cullison was a former Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.

Their article, "Putin Didn’t Know How Good He Had It," sweeps away the sacred liberal belief that Putin somehow controls Trump. In fact, they make a strong case that it was in large part due to Trump that Putin and Russia are currently in a very bad position on the world scene.

[PJ-Comix]

It's impossible to overestimate how much the myth that Trump is Putin's puppet has been a core element of the liberal belief system. And now that myth has been shattered by an article published in a periodical at the center of the liberal universe... Atlantic magazine.

[ClearCase_guy]

Liberals liked the Soviet Union quite a bit. Atheist, anti-capitalism, active in the post-colonial Third World, standing up against the evils of America.

Then the USSR fell apart. The Russian people started going to church, their economy got stronger, they stopped pushing for communist revolution in the Third World — Liberals hated all of that. Russia was bad, bad, bad.

The leader of Russia? Working with the leader of the US? What a nightmare! They must be stopped! The world would end if such a partnership were allowed! Trump is bad! Putin is bad!

But now it appears that Trump is keeping Putin in check. What are Liberals to think about this? It doesn’t fit any of their mental models. Heads will explode.

[brownsfan]

“... And now that myth has been shattered by an article published in a periodical at the center of the liberal universe... Atlantic magazine.”

That’s irrelevant. Liberals are mentally damaged and have taken Trump as Putin’s puppet as a core belief. No amount of logic or information will disabuse them of that belief.

[blitz128]

The sanctions on the Russian oil companies has had a profoundly negative effect on Russian economy and by extension Russian war effort.
If Trump was in pitins pocket he would never have done that.

Talk of economic deals likely have more to do with post pitin era than anything to support pitin as many have said.

Making Europe pay is more about making Europe take responsibility than spite.

[blitz128]

The sanctions on the Russian oil companies has had a profoundly negative effect on Russian economy and by extension Russian war effort.
If Trump was in pitins pocket he would never have done that.

Talk of economic deals likely have more to do with post pitin era than anything to support pitin as many have said.

Making Europe pay is more about making Europe take responsibility than spite.

[blitz128]

True statement

[ansel12]

I’ve tried pointing this out for years, Trump talks sweety pie to Putin while pushing Russia deeper into a hole and creating a militarily revived NATO, including revived American strategic military forces against Russia.

[Titus-Maximus]

Does anyone remember Uranium One when Hillary Clinton delivered the uranium industry to Putin and the Clintons received 145 million as a fee.

Putin wanted Hillary because she was predictable and could be bought like a whore under a bridge.
Why would he want Trump?

[Who is John Galt?]

You’re absolutely 100% correct - nobody but a complete idiot would believe that Moscow would undercut their compliant puppet Hillary, to support a complete unknown like Donald Trump. But apparently most Democrat voters are complete idiots...

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "It's impossible to overestimate how much the myth that Trump is Putin's puppet has been a core element of the liberal belief system."

It is an easy thing for us all to READ what our Trump-Vance administration have made very clear. Hotlinked to the "whitehouse.gov" site for a PDF one can download and read closely.

National Security Strategy of the United States of America November 2025

[Socon-Econ]

Puppet or not, Russia is not the enemy of MAGA America. More reason to be concerned about puppets of the Chinese and Soros.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

---- "But apparently most Democrat voters are complete idiots..."

Proof, in a picture and simple info. DEMOCRATS....

Eugene Vindman -- Democrat Congressman for Virginia's 7th congressional district since 2025 -- and Alex Vindman -- running as a Democrat in Florida in 2026.

And from Florida....

Vindman lives in Broward County. Today, he announced his intention to run, 'to get Donald Trump, and bring socialism to Florida, and for Floridians, a 'bailout'."

Source: Alexander Vindman Running For Senate From Florida! Miami Independent, 29 January 2026

So it turns out that DEMOCRATS and all those "never-Trump" RINOs have been hammering on the same theme for quite some time.

Therefore, a reminder in a simple second picture:

[catnipman]

“No amount of logic or information will disabuse them of that belief.”

my first thought as well ...

[Bon of Babble]

Lefties like to throw everything anti-Trump against the kitchen wall to see what sticks.

Russiagate always comes to mind - sore loser Hillary Clinton insisting that the Russians helped Trump defeat her in 2016.

The Muller investigation cost nearly $32 million over its two-year duration...and found nothing.

[ifinnegan]

Chicoms and Putin are allies.

[A_perfect_lady]

This is one of the beliefs liberals hold that make me realize just how bad they are at reading people. Anyone who has observed Donald Trump over the years has to know: he can’t be controlled by anyone. I mean, I just can’t imagine him putting up with coercion or blackmail for a minute. He’s got a distinct, “Let the chips fall” vibe.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“It’s impossible to overestimate how much the myth that Trump is Putin’s puppet has been a core element of the liberal belief system.”

So true. And it can’t be more simply stated.

And the other one is “US politicians are in Israel’s back pocket”.

The US-Israel relationship is overwhelmingly beneficial to the US. Should those politicians be in Big Pharmas’ back pocket? Or big Unions back pocket? Because in Wash DC, 85% of everybody and anybody there is there for personal gain in a longstanding circus of grift.

[daniel1212]

Liberals once thought he was tough on Russia (while also claiming to be a puppet for Putin):

"When you actually look at the substance of what this administration has done, not the rhetoric but the substance, this administration has been much tougher on Russia than any in the post-Cold War era," said Daniel Vajdich, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Take military spending: Trump sought to add $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2018 to the European Deterrence Initiative — a military effort to deter Russian aggression that was initially known as the European Reassurance Initiative. That's a 41 percent increase from the last year of the Obama administration.
The president also agreed to send lethal weapons to Ukraine — a step that Obama resisted. And Trump gave U.S. forces in Syria more leeway to engage with Russian troops... "Those loosened rules of engagement have resulted in direct military clashes with Russian militants and mercenaries on the ground, actually resulting in one incident in hundreds of casualties on the Russian side," Vajdich said.
The administration has also imposed sanctions on dozens of Russian oligarchs and government officials... tough policies...have to be weighed against Trump's rhetoric, which is consistently friendly to Putin. ."There's a real disconnect between the president's words and the underlying policy," said Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security. - https://www.npr.org/2018/07/20/630659379/is-trump-the-toughest-ever-on-russia

And from from 12/26/17 there is

Trump Sends Tank-Killing Missile To Fight Russia in Ukraine, But What Can It Do? By John Haltiwanger On 12/26/17 at 5:53 PM EST The decision to sell the Javelin missiles also comes not long after the Trump administration approved a limited weapons sale between American manufacturers and Ukraine of Model M107A1 sniper systems, ammunition and associated equipment...It's fired from the shoulder and tracks targets via infrared (heat signature). Instead of targeting the front or sides of tanks, which are thick with armor, the missile flies in an arc and hits the top of tank where the armor is weak..

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko defended the move in a Facebook post, thanking President Donald Trump for his support. Poroshenko further described the arms sale as "a transatlantic vaccination against the Russian virus of aggression." - https://www.newsweek.com/trump-tank-killing-missile-fight-russia-ukraine-759745

And as reported by abcnews.go.com om Dec. 23, 2020,

"Previously, as reported by ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News, Headlines & Videos om Dec. 23, 2020, "Trump admin approves new sale of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.." The new package included Javelin anti-tank weapons, 150 missiles and two launchers, which came after a first sale, completed in March 2018, which included 210 Javelin missiles and 37 launch units.. "The Trump administration first approved the sale of Javelins to Ukraine in December 2017 -- a step that former President Barack Obama never took.... ..

Before that, "Russia's Putin praises Obama's missile defense decision" to "cancel a radar installation in the Czech Republic and ground-based interceptors planned for Poland," LA Times Sep 19, 2009

And those who protest NATO's overall spending of only about 3% of its GDP are opposing Trump. For contrary to being a Putin puppet as the Left prevaricates - and who were blaming him in Feb. 2020 for this invasion,

July 11, 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump told NATO leaders on Wednesday they should increase their defense spending to 4 percent of their country’s economic output, double the group’s current goal of two percent/

4/3/19
..nearly all 29 NATO members have increased their defense spending since Trump came to office, and at least 16 of the 29 are on track to meet their 2024 defense spending goals. Defense spending among 27 NATO allies has increased consistently between 2016 and 2018, with Hungary, Norway, Romania and Turkey making some of the biggest increases.

October 21, 2020 NATO spending has increased for the sixth consecutive year thanks to new contributions from allies, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in prepared remarks Wednesday...Canada and European countries' spending increased this year at a rate of 4.3 percent...Russia and China's aggressive behavior during Trump's term is one reason for the allies' increased spending.

Meanwhile, when procurement costs are taken into consideration (how much it cost for training and materials in respective countries relative to what they spend), then despite having far less to defend, the US military budget in 2019 was not larger than the next eleven countries. Rather it was smaller than the next three.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/11102021-debating-defense-budgets-why-military-purchasing-power-parity-matters-analysis/