Democratic Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.) says President Trump’s push for Ukraine’s rare earths and minerals amid the nation’s war with Russia feels like an extortion plotline out of “The Sopranos.”
Himes joined “Fox News Sunday’s” Shannon Bream to discuss Trump’s plan to end the three-year war and the president’s friendly relationship with Russia. He was asked about a Trump proposal to have Ukraine pay back the U.S. for all the aid that it has received through the conflict.
“I have two problems with that concept,” Himes replied. “One, it just looks like an episode of ‘The Sopranos,’ right? ‘Give us your minerals or we’re not going to help you fight a bloody butcher.’”
“I mean, is this really what we want the greatest country in history to be known for? For … some mafia thing?” he asked.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the Trump administration’s proposal for his country to give the U.S. $500 billion from its rare deposits as compensation for aid during the war is no longer on the table, but a different, more equitable deal was now being negotiated.
The Connecticut lawmaker said that the U.S. has “always stood with the good guys” in international conflict and he is frustrated that Trump has sidelined Ukraine and blamed Zelensky for starting the conflict while increasingly appealing to Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
“Now, this president is standing with the bad guy, he’s saying Zelensky is the problem when Zelensky, with very few resources, is trying to stand up for democracy against a totalitarian butcher,” Himes said.
The Connecticut Democrat argued that the message sent to international leaders is concerning, particularly Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“Because President Xi wakes up every single morning and thinks ‘Is today [the day] I go into Taiwan?’ He says, ‘Look at that, Donald Trump stands with the authoritarian invaders, not with the people who are being invaded,’” Himes said.
“And now you are talking about the real possibility that American troops get involved in something that was facilitated by the mafia-like activities of Donald Trump,” he continued.
