From Russia to Trump’s America: Why I Can’t Stay Silent Anymore

I came to the US from Russia in 2012, and back then, I didn’t feel remotely qualified to comment on American politics. Where I’d come from, the picture was starkly clear: Russia was already a dictatorship. In 2011 many Russians were being thrown in jail just for joining opposition protests. Later came the annexation of Crimea, the assassination of Nemtsov, the attempt on Navalny’s life, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and then last year, Navalny’s murder. Putin’s been at the helm through all of it — year after year, tightening his grip.

Against that backdrop, American politics felt like a different universe — messy, sure, but functional enough that I didn’t think I had the standing to critique it.

Then Trump won in 2016, and things started to shift. Even the win alone hit me hard, and some of later Trump’s biggest moves were beyond shocking — in the worst possible way. I still held back, though. It felt bizarre — unsettling in ways I couldn’t quite articulate — but I still doubted I have enough to say something valuable. My job as CTO at ServiceTitan kept me plenty occupied too; it was a convenient excuse to stay quiet. But every one of my friends knew the anger and frustration was there.

Another factor was that I wasn’t a US citizen — I’m still a permanent resident with an open citizenship application. But since Musk feels entitled to tell Germans who to vote for, I feel it’s more than fair for a US resident like me to ask citizens to at least hear my arguments.

Then came 2024. Last year, it was increasingly clear Trump was going to win again, so we started bracing ourselves even before the election happened. I kept comforting myself and my wife with thoughts like, “Let’s wait and see how his first months play out. Sure, he’s anything but a good leader, but more than half of Americans voted for him, so… There is a chance he’s better than we think of him.”

And one month was enough. I can’t stay quiet anymore. This has gone way too far, and I’m writing this because silence isn’t an option when things get this bad.

I’m asking you, sincerely, to read the rest, take a hard look at where you stand, and…

1. If you conclude you are still a die-hard Trump supporter:

I respect that kind of conviction — I really do — and I know no “fake” arguments will budge you. So, specifically with you, I want to be as similar as possible to an example of a human being like Mr. Trump, and I truly hope you’ll appreciate it.

Here’s my offer: please tell me in the comments or shoot me a PM, and from then on, I’ll be happy to channel Trump’s essence:

• Primarily, this means lying to you without a shred of guilt, publicly trashing you or your actions, calling white black with a straight face, flipping or ditching any past agreement we had, and so on.
• And if I’m ever in a spot where your kid’s threatened — say a rapist’s on the scene and I’ve got a gun — I’ll bargain like a pro, trust me. It might not stop the crime, but damn it, we’ll strike a deal so epic it’d make headlines. Maybe a 500 billion dollar deal — who knows?

Don’t take my words too seriously — it’s just a negotiation tactics, you know. The best, nobody does it better. But remember, I’m saying incredible things, really important stuff, and I don’t lie, okay? Never. So if you’re dumb enough to ignore what I’m saying, I’ll see you in court — and I win there, huge.

2. If you’re a truly die-hard Trump supporter with the guts — tremendous guts, the best…

Then you won’t even think twice about telling every single one of your friends to be like Mr. Trump — the greatest example, nobody does it better. So, if you’ve got the nerve, I’d really appreciate if you’d forward or share this post. Your friends will love you, believe me, they’ll say it’s the best thing ever. Spread it, make it huge!

3. If you’re in Trump’s camp, but on a verge of re-thinking whether to support him or no:

Money can change a lot, but one thing it rarely changes is our character. So ask yourself: would you want Trump as a friend — no money, no power, just the raw guy underneath? Does it make sense to back him when his character’s showing huge cracks? January 2025 has been a wild snapshot, and that’s just one month since he took office again.

Let’s start with some bold lies:

• Trump called Zelensky a dictator worse than Putin in his inaugural speech and repeated it recently. Well, if you ask Russians like me, Putin has literally “owned” the country for 25 years, rigging votes and killing foes, while Zelensky’s been stuck with martial law since 2022. Yes, there’ve been no elections, but guess who’s the single person to blame for that? Putin, who started the war. Yet Trump calls Putin “courageous,” “powerful,” and someone who “wants peace.”
• “I hate to say it, but he [Zelensky] is down at 4% approval rating.” Zelensky’s approval rating is near 63% now. Want to truly appreciate how bald this lie is? Trump’s own approval rating currently sits in the 44–50% range.
• “Ukraine’s sucked up $350 billion in US aid,” which has “vanished into corruption.” Congress has appropriated around $174 billion — this is the headline number often cited, but not all of it has been spent yet; some is tied up in multi-year contracts or still being delivered. When looking at total aid actually sent or allocated (not just promised), estimates vary. The Kiel Institute, tracking aid through August 31, 2024, puts US allocations at over $91 billion, with about $61 billion in military aid, $27 billion in financial aid, and $3 billion in humanitarian aid.
• Oh, and should I remind you he swore he’d end the war in 24 hours?

You might ask why all of this focuses on Ukraine here — that’s because it’s one of the topics I’m very comfortable with, so I don’t have to fact-check every sentence. Yes, nearly everything Trump says about Ukraine is a flat-out lie, but this goes way beyond just Ukraine:

• “20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong.” — The 2004 rate was actually 1 in 125 per the CDC, not 1 in 10,000, and the rise to 1 in 36 by 2020 reflects better diagnosis, not some mysterious collapse.
• In late January, Trump’s press secretary floated a tale that he’d stopped a $50 million (later bumped to $100 million) plan to “fund condoms in Gaza” for Hamas. Honestly, this nonsense doesn’t even deserve a comment.
• Defending pardons for January 6 rioters, Trump claimed they were “assaulted by our government” and “they didn’t assault.” Over 140 officers were injured that day, and multiple videos and court records shred this up-is-down rewrite of history.

So… the most relevant psychiatric term here would be Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), where a key feature is “deceitfulness.” It’s marked by repeated lying or conning others for personal gain, all without the emotional fallout — like shame — that you’d expect.

A few other notable achievements from Trump’s first month:

• A few hours ago, Trump confirmed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico (10% on Canadian energy) will start next week, ending a 30-day pause after border security talks stalled.
• He’s pushing 10–20% EU tariffs “unless they buy US oil,” as he declared at Davos, pissing off Berlin, Paris, and likely most of our allies.
• Trump’s annexation obsession is pure dynamite for international relations — Panama Canal, Greenland, and now Canada in his sights.
• The US voted against a resolution — backed by Ukraine and the EU — condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding its immediate withdrawal. The US had floated its own resolution urging peace without pointing fingers at Russia, but after EU amendments added support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the US sided with Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and 14 others (guess which lovely crew that includes) to oppose it, while 93 countries voted in favor.

Yes, Trump pisses off and ditches allies faster than you can say “MAGA.” Dear Trump supporters, what’s the chance he didn’t tell you the whole truth? Could MAGA stand for “Making America Go Alone”?

Trump’s shuffling of top-level officials is another theme worth discussing. If you’d lived in Russia between 2000 and 2010, you’d call it déjà vu — straight out of Putin’s playbook — and nothing else. I’ll save that topic for another post to keep this one shorter, but it’s one of the scariest things unfolding behind the scenes.

The stock market paints the rest of the picture: the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq indexes are currently lower than they were on Trump’s inauguration day. And that’s where we stand with his big promise — namely, to turbocharge the US economy. That’s what MAGA supporters thought they were voting for.

4. If you’re against Trump — like me:

Act. Discussing all of this with your friends and neighbors helps, but we can do much more:

• Express your concerns to your representative. Do it weekly.
• Share your views publicly — very publicly. Don’t hesitate to hit up Twitter (yes, Twitter), Truth Social, and any other platforms Trump supporters frequently use. You can ditch any of them later; reaching his supporters who might waver is all that matters now.
• Attend all peaceful protests. It’s fine if you’re not 100% aligned with their themes. The time for debating differences is over.
• Protest economically. Push back big projects and purchases. Don’t forget to say, “Sorry, that’s due to economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s actions.” Honestly, it’s probably smart to do that anyway.
• If you find this fun, politely offer to switch to “full Trump mode” with some of the hardcore Trump supporters you know. Personally I don’t see how this can be offensive.

These are just some ideas. The key is to make this a routine — reliably repeat some of these actions daily or weekly.

And remember: if it’s not you, it’s nobody — don’t count on anyone else stepping up. This isn’t about a better economy, no. It’s not about Republicans or Democrats. Unfortunately, it’s about our freedom. Any Russian who’s fled the country knows how fast it can slip away. Ukrainians are fighting and dying for it. Do you really want to let this drag on any longer?

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