I really wasn’t going to talk about it.
The “it” I'm referring to is the horrific beatdown of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week by U.S. President Donald Trump and his sidekick, Vice-President JD Vance.
The thing is, I can’t stop thinking about it.
I don’t think I am alone in that. It was just shocking.
I’m really not overly political. I mean, I am interested in current affairs and, as a former news journalist, I like to know who's who and what’s going on.
Usually, it wouldn’t cause me to double up on Rolaids, though.
So, it's really interesting to me how angry I got over this display in the Oval Office. Nothing political ever got me quite so riled up. Well, other than Trump wanting Canada as the 51st state.
I’ve heard others say the same about the Zelenskyy-Trump episode. It caused so much anger that some people said they couldn’t sleep. Their blood pressure was up and their appetite down.
I’ve watched the full news conference multiple times and the cringe-worthy moments a few more.
And I’ve heard the Republicans try to spin it, but they just made me dizzy.
While I do not pretend to understand all of the inner workings of foreign policy, I do know decency from indecency.
The bottom line is President Zelenskyy was an invited guest in the “people’s house” and deserved the utmost respect.
I felt like I was watching a little whipped pup as Trump and Vance berated him and peppered him with questions, some of which they refused to even wait for the answer.
They weren’t there to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, in my opinion.
Trump was there to defend Russian President Vladamir Putin and his aggression, and try to change the narrative that it was Ukraine that started a war with Russia.
Vance was there to kiss his boss’s boots and make himself look relevant.
It was truly a sickening display.
Zelenskyy showed incredible restraint when being bullied and, let’s face it, that’s what was happening.
Call it being set up or ambushed or whatever term you choose, but that’s what I saw.
By now, we know the question about why Zelenskyy wasn’t wearing a suit was from the boyfriend of Republican representative Majorie Taylor Greene.
No self-respecting reporter would ask that anymore than they’d ask why Trump’s ties are so long, or why Vance appears to wear eyeliner. It's neither relevant nor proper.
We also know the answer the suit question. It's tradition in Europe that, during wartime, the leader wears the clothes of the fighting men and women. It symbolizes they are fighting with the citizenry and not dressed to suggest they are above them.
What’s that old legal adage? “Don’t ask the question if you don’t know the answer.”
I do feel some comfort in the fact there have been many protests in the United States, with some residents saying they believe Trump went too far and is hurting the country’s reputation around the globe.
Just one day after the Oval Office blowup, crowds gathered near a Vermont ski resort where Vance and his family were planning to vacation.
My hope is this disgusting display backfires and it will work in the Ukraine’s favour.
I am heartened to see Canadian and several European leaders saying financial and emotional support will continue.
There is just so much more chaos still to come. We need to brace ourselves.
Will the tariffs affect the sale of Tums?
During the Oval Office meeting, Trump actually said, “this makes for good TV.” And he’s right.
In the same way Jerry Springer, Geraldo or Housewives of (insert city here) has been good television.
But this involved world leaders in the White House talking about war and peace, life and death, and it doesn’t get any more serious than that.
We need serious people at the helm, people with backbones. I didn’t see any in that room that day.
It is not about politics. It's about humanity and inhumanity, and it was on full display for all to see.
I hope we never see it again, and I hope we never forget it.
