Stephen Sestanovich
10.7K posts
@SSestanovich
CFR sr fellow, Columbia SIPA prof emeritus, USG survivor, author of Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama. (And hey, no liking: just retweet!)
Putin has suggested the EU choose a leader “they trust” to act as a negotiator with Moscow, adding that the person should be someone “who hasn’t said nasty things about us.” He referenced former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a suitable candidate.
Today at Trump National Doral Miami, we witnessed an unforgettable moment with the dedication of the 22-foot statue honoring President Donald J. Trump. Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America. It also stands as a reminder of the hand of God and His protection over President Trump’s life. Time and time again, when his life was threatened, God’s mercy prevailed. Today was not just a ribbon cutting. It was the public display of a powerful movement that has spread across America and around the world. I was deeply honored to serve as President Trump’s main point of contact throughout this process, and I do not take that assignment lightly. I want to personally thank Ash, Dustin Stockton, Brock Pierce, Hershey Friedman, Yaakov Filitchkin, Sam, Jack, and the 6,000+ Patriots who donated, believed, sacrificed, and made this historic moment possible. Thank you to the entire Trump Doral team for your incredible hospitality and excellence. And thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for calling me today and speaking to the crowd. We are forever grateful. God bless President Trump. God bless every Patriot. And God bless the United States of America. 🇺🇸 #PresidentTrump #SpiritualDiplomats #TrumpDoral #TrumpStatueDedication #AmericaFirst #PatriotMovement #FaithFreedomPatriotism
@EchoesofWarYT The Marshall Plan, that rebuilt post WWII Europe, was actually his policy. He told Marshall to sell it as "The Marshall Plan" because George Marshall Truman's Secretary of State, was more popular & Truman didn't care about credit, he cares about results.
SCOOP: In late March, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles sent a blunt message to staff across the Executive Office of the President: Stop leaking to the press. In an email obtained by West Wing Playbook, Wiles warned that “no staff member within the Executive Office of the President is permitted to speak with members of the news media without the explicit approval of the White House Communications Office,” and that “unauthorized leaks will not be tolerated and are subject to sanction up to and including termination.” w/ @SophiaCai99 politico.com/newsletters/we…
In 1966, Barry Goldwater told William F. Buckley Jr. that his greatest fear as a conservative was a president who would use the powers of the office to destroy everyone who disagreed with him.
Vladimir Putin & Donald Trump launched wars of choice they expected would end quickly & decisively. Both must decide how to conclude them now that their assumptions have proven wrong. open.substack.com/pub/richardhaa…
The Kremlin has sent letters to Western embassies warning them they must evacuate their Kyiv representations and nationals, threatening to bomb Kyiv including the "centers of political decision-making" if Ukraine spoils the Victory Day parade on May 9.
“When I reached a former longtime senior FBI official to ask whether he’d ever seen personally branded liquor bottles distributed by a previous FBI director, he burst out laughing.” Yes, Kash Patel is handing out bottles of his personally branded bourbon. As one does. /1
As cracks appear in the Russian elite over the war against Ukraine and repressive internet restrictions, a Kremlin lawyer's turn against Putin and continuing open defiance signify a broader divide in the upper reaches of Kremlin power. washingtonpost.com/world/2026/05/…
This may be the most articulate response I’ve ever heard to this question.
Rubio: “Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We have achieved the objectives of that operation."
Ֆրանսիան սիրում է ձեզ։ 🫶
.@SecRubio on the Iranian people: "I don't know of any country in the world where there's a bigger difference between the people and the people who run the country."
Rubio and Southcom commander Gen. Francis Donovan shaking hands at Southcom headquarters in Doral...in front of a map of Cuba. Subtle.
Vladimir Putin: "The Ukraine war would never have happened if the 2020 US election wasn't stolen from Trump."
It might not “age well,” but your certainty that it won’t of course indicts you for a lack of objectivity about how it has begun. You do back away from the conclusory dismissal with your parenthetical, but not enough to save you from having your own assertion in danger of “not aging well.” Would you be willing to articulate what would be an unqualified “win” of historical proportions? Because it’s my experience with CFR-folk, the goal posts move. Often.
