Donald Trump is currently not good to speak to Vladimir Putin. This week he missed his frustration with the Russian president by announcing that the United States would resume military support for Ukraine. When he was asked on Tuesday who had originally arranged the break of help, Trump replied with a now typical reaction whenever he was confronted with chaos, that his government is doing in the USA and worldwide.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The interruption of the auxiliary deliveries for Ukraine was apparently ordered by the struck Defense Minister Pete Hegseth last week, who reported reportedly to inform the White House about this step – which led to hectic internal wrangles. Trump was asked if he had approved the break while he was sitting next to Hegseth during a cabinet meeting. The president only explained that the USA would have to deliver “defensive weapons” to Ukraine because “Putin does not treat people properly”. When asked who ordered the break, Trump replied: “I don’t know.” And added: “Why don’t you tell me?”
“I’m not a lawyer – I don’t know”
The fact that the United States provides military help to Ukraine, which continues to defend itself against a Russian invasion, is obviously an important matter – and it is unimaginable that the government deals with the situation so negligently. However, the administration seems to act so carefree in almost everything – from dealing with abroad to constitutional deportation plans – and the president has now made it a habit to deport responsibility for others in the event of critical questions.
Trump’s apparent lack of interest showed up clearly after his government had illegally deported the residents of Maryland, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, into a brutal prison in El Salvador. Several federal courts, including the Supreme Court, ruled that this should not have been done. And that the government has to enable the return of Abrego Garcias. The administration refused for weeks. Trump was repeatedly asked about the case and the legal situation. And always refused an answer by referring to “my lawyers”. So on the Ministry of Justice. Trump did not even want to commit himself to comply with the constitution.
Kristen Welker from NBC News asked Trump in May: “Your Foreign Minister says that everyone who is here – citizens and non -citizens – is entitled to a rule of law. Do you agree?”
“I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” replied Trump before talking about the need to deport criminals.
Know nothing
“As President of the United States, do you not have to comply with the constitution?” asked Welker.
“I don’t know,” said Trump.
The government sent Abrego Garcia and hundreds of others to El Salvador in March without the rule of law. He ignored a federal judge who ordered that the planes had to return to the United States. The deportations were made, citing the Alien Enemies Act. The reason was so doubtful that a judge appointed by Trump rejected her. And the Supreme Court ruled that the government should not use the law of 1798 to deport people without a procedure. When Trump was asked whether he was aware of the application of this law of war law, he replied – really advised – that he knew nothing about it.
“I didn’t think about it”
“I don’t know when it was signed. Because I didn’t sign it,” Trump told reporters in March. The White House said Trump referred to the original signing of the law over 200 years ago. Not on the proclamation that he had signed very well after taking office. However, this explanation hardly fits Trump’s statement that “other people had regulated it” before he praised Foreign Minister Marco Rubio for “bringing criminals out of the country”.
More examples. Trump said “I know nothing about it” when he was asked about his government’s decision to drop the federal corruption allegations against the New York Mayor Eric Adams. Replied with “I don’t know” when it came to the planned deportations to Libya, and referred to the Ministry of Homeland. And confessed: “I don’t know about it” when he was asked about a explosive article in The Atlantic, according to which Pete Hegseth had discussed sensitive attack plans against Yemeni rebels in an unsecured signal chat-in which the magazine was also editor-in-chief. One would think that Trump would have been informed about such a serious security leak of his own government before journalists confronted him with it. Especially since the article has been circulating online for hours.
Hegseth is also at the center of Trump’s most recent twitching about the interruption of military help for Ukraine. Shawn McCreesh from the “New York Times” asked the President on Wednesday whether he had now found out who had stopped the ammunition deliveries. After Trump explained the day before, he didn’t know.
“I would know”
“I didn’t think about it. Because we are currently dealing with Ukraine and ammunition,” replied Trump. “But no. I didn’t deal with it.”
Mccreeshy. “What does it say if such an important decision is made in your government without knowing it?”
“I would know,” said Trump. “If a decision has been made, I will know. I’ll be the first to know. Actually, I would most likely meet it myself. But I haven’t done that yet.”
Trump then quickly turned to another reporter to answer a new question.