President Donald Trump has long made 'No retreat, no surrender' his guiding ethos, refusing to apologize or acknowledge mistakes and declaring that he's the brawler in chief for the American people. His instinct to pump his fist and yell 'Fight, fight' in the moments after being shot on the campaign trail became a defining image of his victory last year. He scowls in his official portraits'and in his mug shot'and has stared down world leaders most American presidents would deem friends. But there is one big exception to this self-styled tough-guy image: For his entire political life, Trump has never truly stood up to Vladimir Putin. Instead, he has at times parroted Kremlin talking points; infamously sided with Moscow over his own nation's intelligence services after the 2016 election; and even inexplicably blamed Ukraine for somehow forcing Russia to invade in 2022. Since retaking office, Trump has continued to appease Putin as the two leaders have sought to negotiate an end to the...
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