When the President Gets His Feelings Hurt - 7/14/25

Hell hath no fury like a president scorned.

Politicians change their minds all the time. But Donald Trump’s abrupt course correction on the Russia-Ukraine war last week may have established a new standard for dramatic reversals when he announced that the US would continue to provide weaponry to Ukraine’s military in their ongoing struggle to defend themselves against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. In doing so, Trump overruled his own Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously cut off aid to Ukraine without the president’s authorization.

This is the second time that Hegseth has unilaterally suspended military assistance for Ukraine, which seems to be both an abject violation of the chain of command for such decisions and an extraordinary public display of insubordination toward the man who employs him. Yet while Trump was extremely emphatic in his support for Ukraine and his unhappiness with Putin, he has also been remarkably subdued—if not downright evasive—in response to questions from reporters about Hegseth’s apparent freelancing on one of the country’s most important foreign policy priorities.

Trump is known for the extreme importance he places on loyalty from his staff and advisors—and the enjoyment he derives from denigrating them when they displease him. So it’s curious as to why he would avoid any criticism at all of a rogue Cabinet member, especially on such a high-stakes matter. Why does Trump seem so willing to accept Hegseth’s blatant disregard for his wishes?

The answer to that question may be found in the timing of the two announcements. The White House has gone to great lengths to let it be known that Trump had not been informed in advance of Hegseth’s decision. But the president waited almost a full week before publicly reversing it. Given that Trump has made it clear that providing assistance to Ukraine is something about which he now feels so strongly, it seems odd that he would not have corrected such a critical misstep more quickly.

But Trump and Putin talked the day after Hegseth’s announcement, and by all accounts, the conversation did not go well at all. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Putin’s unwillingness to make any meaningful efforts to move toward ceasefire talks. After the two men spoke last month, Russia conspicuously increased the level of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. For Trump, who famously promised to end the war on his first day in office, it was becoming clear that Putin was intentionally making him look bad.

And Trump’s feelings were hurt. He has worked hard to cultivate a bro-mance with Putin throughout his political career and has always taken great pride in the strength of their personal relationship. But it’s now become difficult to avoid the widespread perception that the two men’s friendship isn’t nearly as close as Trump has continually presented it—or possibly that there is no friendship at all. For years, Trump’s critics have suggested that the former KGB agent has simply been toying with his less experienced American counterpart. Trump’s inability to make any progress on Ukraine is evidence that those critics may be right.

When Trump assessed his most recent call with Putin, the disappointment he was feeling was obvious. There’s no question that the president was unhappy about the lack of substantive progress, but the words he used in his public comments revealed a sense of personal betrayal as well.

“We get a lot of bulls--- thrown at us by Putin,” Trump told reporters at a White House meeting. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” 

A few days later, Trump announced that he was restoring military support for Ukraine. He has since reinforced this newfound commitment by promising additional weaponry and indicating of the likelihood of enhanced sanctions. And now there is an even larger deal with NATO  in which the US would sell hardware to European allies that would in turn be passed on to Ukraine. 

All of this suggests that perhaps Hegseth was not off the reservation when he originally halted the aid, but rather that Trump simply changed his own mind after he felt snubbed by Putin. This might not be the ideal way to make international policy, but it at least it gets Ukraine the protection they need for the time being. Unless Putin decides to send candy and flowers to the White House to make up or finds another way to mend Trump’s broken heart.