Trump has never been terribly psychologically complex: In his Cold War"shaped mind, Russia is forever coded as "strong," our historic geopolitical foe deserving of respect " and maybe a little understanding as well. Meanwhile, Ukraine is coded in his mind with weakness, Biden Democrats, and Volodymyr Zelensky, the man who in Donald Trump's mind will forever be synonymous with his first impeachment. Ultimately, Trump can be reliably counted on to side with Putin's interests for no better or more thought-out reason than his reflexive desire to curry favor with whomever he perceives to be the "strong horse." (It's why he endorsed Ken Paxton in Texas, if you recall " he wanted to get on the good side of an inevitability " and now he visibly regrets it in every rally.)