“Months after war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, then-President Joe Biden had a fiery private phone call with Ukraine President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which included Biden allegedly losing "his temper" and calling on Ukraine to "show a little more gratitude" towards the U.S. for its support, a resurfaced 2022 NBC News report shows.’
I recall the conversation, as reported, as going something like this:
Z: We need to be able to strike targets inside Russia. Please take that condition off.
B: I won't.
Z: But then we will not be able to win, and your weaponry won't be useful.
B: I can't risk starting a broader war
Z: I thought you were helping us.
B: We are helping you. Show a little more gratitude.
And if the conversation went like that, I've no problem with either person's behavior. Obviously they didn't do it in public, and Biden didn't seem to let it affect his policy. So what happens behind closed doors doesn't really matter. Until you're put in the situation where you have to have these discussions, you shouldn't judge.
The problem isn't that Trump was rude to Z. Personally, I think the thing about the attire is stupid, but if Trump felt the need to dress Z down backstage, that's boorish but not a national emergency so long as they walk out to do what they were supposed to do. The problem is he did it out in the open, and he's now letting it affect our policy, which is an absolute no-no. Or, more likely, it was a ruse to create an excuse for Trump doing Putin's bidding, which is even worse. Either way, it's categorically different and more harmful.