Most Republicans are loyal to the president. But one in particular is trying to go against the grain.
And a GOP congressman prepares to betray Donald Trump in a move that’s causing chaos.
Rep. Don Bacon Slams Trump’s Ukraine Stance
In a political landscape increasingly divided over America’s role in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) isn’t afraid to stand apart—and he’s making sure his voice is heard loud and clear. The five-term congressman from Nebraska has unleashed a blistering critique of President Donald Trump’s handling of negotiations aimed at halting Russia’s three-year assault on Ukraine, a conflict that ranks as Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
“I feel so strongly about it, I just don’t care,” the 61-year-old Bacon told the New York Post in a recent interview, brushing off any concern about going against the grain of his party. He didn’t mince words when describing Trump’s approach, accusing the 78-year-old president of adopting “a pro-Russian view” and being “very weak on Ukraine.”
Bacon went further, labeling Trump “a bit of an appeaser to Russia”—a stinging rebuke from a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Bacon’s frustration doesn’t stop with the White House. He’s also taking aim at fellow Republicans who, in his view, have swallowed “propaganda” painting Ukraine’s government as a corrupt money pit draining American resources. “You got some folks who buy into the same propaganda that I think that the Russians use,” he said, calling out colleagues without hesitation.
The GOP’s enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine has been waning, a shift that became starkly apparent after a tense Oval Office clash on February 28. That day, Trump and Vice President JD Vance squared off with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, drawing cheers from some Republicans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed Trump’s tough stance as “an American president putting America first,” a sentiment echoed by Reps. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) even floated the idea of replacing Zelensky entirely. But for Bacon, the confrontation was a disaster. A “bad day for America’s foreign policy,” he called it.
Taking to X after the high-profile spat, Bacon laid out his case: “Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.” For him, the stakes couldn’t be higher—or more obvious.
So why does Bacon see Trump’s approach so differently? He suggests it might be personal. “Psychological underpinnings” could be at play, he mused, pointing to Trump’s first impeachment, sparked by a 2019 call with Zelensky. Add to that Trump’s apparent admiration for “strong people that are autocrats,” and Bacon sees a pattern that clashes with his own principles.
Those principles, he explained, are rooted in a lifelong passion for history and a career spent studying the Soviet Union. “I’m a history guy. I’ve been reading history since I was in high school, and I read a lot of war history,” he said. “I studied the Soviet Union immensely in college, and I was also an intelligence guy studying the Soviet Union for a good chunk of my career.”
Bacon aligns himself with the likes of Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, and Dwight Eisenhower—icons he sees as champions of freedom, free markets, and the rule of law. “When a country like Russia invades its neighbor, I don’t think we can be silent,” he insisted.
To Bacon, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions are crystal clear: “It’s clear to me Putin wants to regain [the Soviet Union’s] old borders.” He views the February 2022 invasion as Putin’s attempt to erase Ukraine’s identity.
“They do not see Ukraine as an independent people,” he said. He “wants to stamp out their history, their culture, their language. He’s also weak in Russia, and he can’t stand the thought of Ukraine wanting to build the West.”
Meanwhile, Trump has stepped into the fray as a self-styled peacemaker, convening separate meetings with U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. Russia has signaled a willingness to pause attacks on energy sites and the Black Sea, but the bombardment persists.
Trump has even floated a trip to Moscow to meet Putin and kick off three-way talks with Ukraine, though no dates are set. Bacon, however, wishes the president would shift his focus and “would play hardball on Russia, not Ukraine,” he said. “Russia is doing the invasion, why are we treating Zelensky as the bad guy?”
Bacon isn’t entirely alone in his party. Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) share his vocal support for Ukraine, and he remains optimistic that others might eventually come around.
“I think that this is a work in progress,” he said. “And I think people like me can speak the truth on this stuff and maybe over time, gain traction.”
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
