I will start today by confessing two things. First, I am not, nor have I ever be a bully. Second, I am not, nor have I ever been a deal maker. Neither is in my DNA.

As to being a bully, I have often (well, okay, not so often) wondered that if I were 6’6″, rather than 5’6″, and 280 pounds, rather than 140 pounds, would I have developed a different personality. I think the answer to that is “yes”, but I don’t think that different personality would have been that of a bully.

The deal maker question does not have anything to do with my size. There have been short deal makers and tall deal makers, I am sure. But it’s just not who I am. This is what explains that, during my 40 years of law practice, I was much more comfortable defending clients who were being attacked by government agencies than I was representing clients buying or selling properties. To be a good transaction lawyer, you need to be something of a deal maker for sure. To be a good defense counsel, you just need to try to attain justice.

So, there you have it. I am not Donald Trump. But I pay attention to Donald Trump, as do now all of us, and I pay attention to Donald Trump, the deal maker.

Donald Trump is in the middle of making, or trying to make, two deals. He is trying to make a deal for the future of Gaza as a part of a deal to end the Hamas-Israel war. And, he is trying to make a deal to get for America (?) a good portion of the valuable mineral resources of Ukraine as a part of a deal to the Russo-Ukraine War. The question is, in both cases, is whether he is trying to accomplish these transactions as a deal maker, or as a bully. Of course, in the case of Donald Trump, these two ways of going about his business may blend into each other, as they always have. To a true deal maker, I guess, deal making takes precedence over bullying. To one who looks for justice, I believe it is the opposite.

So, as President Zelensky comes to the United States, we await the potential completion of the negotiations over Ukrainian minerals. Will Trump simply say “Gimme, gimme, gimme, or we will stop supporting you and really join forces with Russia”? Is that what will happen? Or will Zelensky say: ” Let’s talk about security guarantees, and weapons, and peacekeepers….”, with Trump saying: “Of course, let’s talk.”

And a similar description can be used in talking about Gaza, with an additional question as to with whom negotiations would even be undertaken.

We will see what we see. King Donald the Dealer or King Donald the Bully. I have my guesses.

Today, Edie and I are getting in our trusty Prius and starting our annual winter/spring road trip. Read the posts and you will accompany us, with the Trump administration taking second place to our adventures.

Where are we going? Be patient. You will find out.