Trump’s unforgivable legacy in Ukraine
The Benedict Arnold comparison is about as strong a rhetorical hammer as American politics offers, and using it in the same breath as the 250th anniversary is a deliberate choice meant to land with maximum weight. I get why the author reaches for it. Arnold's name still carries a visceral charge more than two centuries later, and the piece wants readers to feel that same sting about current events.
What I'd want to know is whether the comparison holds up beyond its emotional pull. Arnold actively handed over a fort to the enemy. Trump's record on Ukraine is complicated, involving aid delays, impeachment, and public praise of Putin, but also the provision of Javelin missiles early in his term. That nuance matters even if you think the overall verdict is harsh.
Still, the core argument deserves attention. History does tend to simplify complex records into single defining images, and the author is trying to shape which image sticks. Whether you agree or not, the piece forces a useful question about what we'll remember most when we look back.