Trump Is an Easy Mark for Putin

Late last night, President Trump announced a “massive” deal to buy diesel fuel from Russia.

For the American truckers and farmers Trump claims to be serving, the deal means little or nothing.

Trump may not know or may not care that his latest gambit will not reduce diesel prices.

His poll numbers are plunging to Herbert Hoover levels.

He needs a last-minute electioneering gimmick.

But while the deal will not benefit American consumers, it has immense consequences for others.

For Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the deal is a potential lifesaver.

For war-ravaged Ukraine, it is the most outrageous and heartless Trump betrayal to date.

For Trump’s entourage, the deal promises corruption opportunities on a multibillion-dollar scale.

And for people trying to understand the Trump presidency, the deal is further proof of the accusation that Nancy Pelosi flung in Trump’s face in 2019: “With you, all roads lead to Putin.” The United States is a diesel superpower.

It is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of diesel fuel.

U.S. refineries produce about 5.2 million barrels of diesel a day.

Americans consume about 3.7 million barrels a day.

The surplus is sold abroad: In recent months exports have run above 1.5 million barrels a day.