New Delhi [India], January 31 : US military expert Douglas Macgregor has described US President Donald Trump as an "erratic and impulsive" leader, claiming that his decisions are heavily influenced by a small group of billionaires.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Macgregor, who has worked with Trump in the past, said the President would act very differently if he were truly independent. However, he argued that Trump is not a "free agent" and is constrained by wealthy donors who shape political priorities. MacGregor alleged that key principal targets are not chosen by Trump himself but by a handful of powerful billionaires who exert influence through their financial backing of election campaigns.
"I told you they're a group of billionaires. That's it. Eight, nine, or ten. You know, we could sit here and argue who is the most influential. You've heard some of the names. Adelson is one. Singer is another. Ellison is another. I mean, you just go down the list. And these people have enormous influence and power because they have huge quantities of money that they are ready to pour into someone's election campaign fund," Douglas Macgregor said.
"Now, what does Trump personally think or want? My experience with the man is that he would behave very differently if he were a free agent, but he's not. And he knows it. So, I think you're dealing with what appears to be an erratic president, an impulsive president. He's clearly very emotional and overreacts to things. But ultimately, the principal targets that have been chosen for him are chosen by these billionaires," he added.
Recalling Donald Trump's stance on ending the war in Ukraine, MacGregor asserted that he really wanted to end the conflict, adding that the US President hadn't conducted any in-depth study on it. He added that the US President overestimated the power of his chair to impose an outcome.
"Remember, this is the man (Donald Trump) who just a year ago was telling everybody, 'I can end the Ukraine war on a phone call.' Well, that reflected several things. First of all, I think it reflected his very sincere interest in ending the war. I believe that without question. Secondly, it reflected a complete lack of study, research, or understanding of the conflict. And third, a complete overestimation of his power as president of the United States to impose an outcome," he said.
MacGregor stressed that the US President has no realisation of the present, stating that Trump thinks it is the same as it was 30 years ago. The US Military expert also described India, China, Russia, and Iran as independent "civilisational states" with their own deep identities and interests. He added that US foreign policy right now is not based on a clear strategy and is not really decided by Trump himself, but by powerful billionaires behind the scenes.
"Part of this is because I think he lives, in many ways, in a world that existed 30 years ago, but doesn't anymore. The world has moved on. It's a very different place. And if you tried to sit down with him and explain to him that, for instance, India is a civilizational state, that China is a civilizational state, that Russia is a civilizational state, that Iran is a civilizational state, I don't think that would have much meaning for him. That's not a world that he knows or is accustomed to. So, that's the problem with a strategy that isn't a strategy. And that's the problem with our foreign policy right now. It's really not being decided by him," he said.
Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump noted that progress was being made toward ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while acknowledging that strained relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin continue to make peace efforts "difficult".
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "Zelenskyy and Putin hate each other, and it makes it very difficult. But I think we're getting very close to getting a settlement." He added, "I think that we have a good chance of getting it settled."