"Moron with Balls, Status Quo, and Budanov": Pro-Harris and pro-Trump Ukrainians Speak Out
Prepare for some seriously contentious statements
On November 5, America votes. For Ukraine, which will soon enter into its third year of war with Russia, these elections are paramount. Even more so since the country is bleeding and US aid barely making it to Ukraine, jeopardising the country’s present and future.
It is for this reason that I decided to interview young pro-Ukraine Ukrainians to find out whom they support in this election, — Kamala Harris or Donald Trump — and why.
With the exception of one person, people partaking in these interviews, which were exceptionally difficult to set up and are built on mutual trust, wished to remain anonymous in order to express their beliefs freely and to the fullest. A standard set of questions (you can find it in the annex) was posed to each participant, with some occasional follow-up questions where deemed fit.
Five takeaways from the interviews
Close-to-a-complete disbelief in NATO and even the EU
1991 borders not identified as a priority in this war
Israel and its defense model were mentioned 4 times during the interviews
Recognition of internal systemic problems in Ukraine like corruption
The meaning of “reasonable people” and whom “reasonable people” should support greatly varied
Ganna Baidak, “He can call us shit as long as he helps end this war”
Age: 25-34
Gender: Female
Education level: Msc
Income level: Above average
Current location: Ukraine
My husband and I are Protestants. We support Trump because we’re hardcore Christians, so all this LGBT and transgender agenda is totally not our thing. Even though we’re not US voters, but we know many who support him because of his domestic policies. I’d say they’re reasonable people.
Kamala is into sweet talk. She is trying to be everyone’s friend and even made videos for the Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S. where she showed how much she has done. I don’t know what Harris did for Ukraine and that really triggered me.
Girl, we need a lot of weapons, like you give to Israel who sends 100 missiles in response to 1. Stop this nonsense.
Trump appears to be more radical. No, I don’t buy the claims that he would cut off all aid to Ukraine. The world would not take it well, and he’s not an idiot. And, no, I don’t believe he would sell out Ukraine to Putin. I think he’d either tell Putin that hey, ok, take what you occupied. Or arm so heavily that we’d liberate Russia, you know what I mean?
Biden promised a lot but I don’t see any decisiveness in his actions. We’re deep in debt and god knows, how we’ll be repaying all that.
I don’t understand when some say that we can recapture the Russian-occupied territory using military means. Guys, c’mon, you need to think reasonably. If we had 300 F-16s, well, maybe. But we received just a few. Right now, we can’t even hold the ground — let alone recapture our land. The artillery advantage is 20-1, which fair game are we talking about?
The best scenario is a ceasefire. I don’t care if Trump likes Ukraine or not, and I don't care about his private life. I care about Ukraine. So, if Trump says he’d give away some captured territories, then it’s pure logic, and nothing else.
For me, EU membership doesn’t matter that much as I don’t understand the EU benefits for us. But I do acknowledge that I’m not an expert.
I’d prefer we created a different union. A trade one with Czechia, the UK, Norway, I’m a fan of it, and maybe Switzerland. It’s more of a dream but I also deem them stably independent and I like that.
D., “Harris is status quo”
Age: 25-34
Gender: male
Education level: Msc
Income level: Above average
Current location: outside of Ukraine
It’s like choosing between eating a kebab and poo, I’m not even sure how we ended up answering this question: Harris or Trump?
I think no reasonable person who has all info at hand would vote for Trump.
Basically, Ukraine is facing two options: Harris which is status quo. And Trump which is self-immolation.
Generally, Trump is supported by either very rich people, crooks, or complete idiots that act against their own self interests.
I think Biden in general has taken the right decisions. Because we also need to take into account that Ukraine is far from perfect and is akin to a swamp of corruption, embezzlement and betrayal. We don't know the things he knows. He's old but powerful.
Regarding the negotiations. If territory is given to Russia, this will be the crash of liberal democracy. Because liberal democracy is buttressed by the notion that everyone lives in a certain order. But I don't sit inside a trench so if those paying with blood say otherwise, then I might concur. I do want Ukraine to win though.
The EU really needs to reinvent itself to move forward. I’m not totally sure what it’s about at the moment.
Ukraine will never become part of NATO. Why the f#ck would they want us there? But the Alliance has also effectively crashed in Ukraine. Article 5 is nothing but an agreement between people so if Orban says no, for example, to something, then it doesn’t really matter what Article 5 says.
Anyway, the genie is already out of the bottle.
A., “Trump is better for negotiations”
Age: 25-34
Gender: Male
Education level: Msc
Income level: Above average
Current location: outside of Ukraine
Biden and Harris are fools, they’re clueless. If they were good leaders, maybe the war wouldn't even have started.
Biden is an old grandpa. It's like making my grandpa the president of the US. But still I appreciate the help that we received.
Trump is a better option in terms of negotiations. He doesn't elicit any negative emotions and no, I haven’t heard statements that Trump wants to surrender Ukraine to Putin.
That said, I don’t understand why we need territories like Donetsk and Luhansk. People living there are actually fighting against us in this war. What the hell are we going to do with them?
In the end, nobody's going to ask Ukraine whether we’re ok with the outcome of the negotiations. We’re like a dog receiving bones.
Plus, I have to be honest Ukraine does have a corruption problem and there are many things that the Ukrainian government is doing wrong. For example, putting a lot of pressure on business in times of war.
Look, at the end of the day, we don't need to reinvent the wheel — we just need to do what Israel does. We need to ramp up our production. Most probably develop nukes. I’m sure we have the capacity and specialists for that.
And prepare within the next 5 years for the next war. We can do that if we stop stealing the money.
K., “She’s just more predictable”
Age: 25-34
Gender: Female
Education level: Msc
Income level: Average
Current location: Ukraine
I just don't know which way Trump would go. He could easily give us a lot — but he could also easily say: “sit down and negotiate.” Kamala seems more predictable. I expect the support level to be roughly at the same level as before.
What do I think about Biden? Can I be honest? He is a softy and is partly to blame for what happened. He could have impacted the way Russia behaved in 2022. But he did not use any arguments or leverage. Thanks for the weapons though.
No, I don't believe in the 1991 borders idea. The war will probably end at the current borders.
For me, neither NATO nor EU membership is a priority. Why? Because NATO did not prove itself to be worthy even when it comes to its member states like Poland and Romania that are impacted by Russia’s war. One person was even killed, and nothing happened.
What we really need is just need real security guarantees, not some piece of paper and develop our own industrial base. So yes, basically we need the Israeli defense model.
D., “Trump is a moron, but at least he has balls”
Age: 25-34
Gender: Female
Education level: Msc
Income level: Unemployed
Current location: Ukraine
I'm tired of being hung up and I don't trust Kamala, she is something totally unknown to me. Trump is a moron, but at least he seems to have balls. I'm a member of a mom chat on social media and a lot of them are pro-Trump too.
I have relatives in the US. My cousin hates Trump, but my grandma was ok with him before, now I don’t know.
I don’t think the he wants to surrender Ukraine to Putin. I mean why would he? Plus the world isn’t that simple that you suddenly decide things like that.
Regarding Biden, well he was not contributing at all in the beginning. Naturally the aid we received good but it's obvious that they might not be able to give it in the volume they were able to before that.
No, 1991 borders is not a realistic goal. Reasonable people understand that. Neither Donetsk nor Luhansk is important for me. The losses are way too high.
No, I don't believe in NATO. And I don't think that the EU is that important for me.
We need 2-5 years to prepare before this begins once more. People are not as motivated anymore as in the beginning.
V. “I just don’t connect with the Republicans”
Age: 18-24
Gender: Female
Education level: Msc
Income level: Average
Current location: Ukraine
I’m keeping track of what Trump says, and I don't like it. Plus I'm pro women's rights so it's very important for me. The way Republicans support pro-gun agenda is also problematic but I’m not sure that the Democrats are against guns either. Plus, Harris is more inclined to talk about supporting Ukraine and identifies Russia as a threat.
Meanwhile, Trump likes to boast about his good relationship with Vladimir Putin. Generally I just don't connect with the Republicans.
The problem with all this is that Kamala will most likely be like Biden, which means very few weapons. I don’t have any specific feelings toward Biden.
It's good he helped in 2022 but then all this slow-walking of weapons began. And following those debates in the summer, I was like, yeah, grandpa you have to go.
I don't think 1991 borders are that important even though I understand that negotiations with Russia is like talking to a looney bin. But the losses are too high. Plus there's a lot of indecisiveness there's very little weapons the membership is not coming to fruition. The treatment of Ukraine is bad. So yes, a ceasefire is necessary and yeah, I would cede territory to Russia.
Because I don't really know what we're going to do with all those people living in Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. I don't know how many of them support Ukraine even though some are trapped of course.
How are we going to change them? Will we use some totalitarian methods for that?
Yes, for me, EU membership is important. I really want it, and I'm really angry at the older generations that this has not happened yet. Poland and the Baltic States managed to become part of the EU. And we did not. Instead corruption flourished.
I would like a NATO membership, and I think that our warriors earned it. It's good for security. But if we don't get it, well we'll continue living and it's good if we were to develop our industrial base.
Some in my family tend to support Trump: liberal views are too much for them.
Ukrainian Soldier, “Budanov”
Age: 25-34
Gender: Male
Education level: Msc
Income level: Average
Current location: Ukraine
Direct speech:
Harris should provide a lot of weapons. The war won't end soon.
Trump is unpredictable—he could give even more than Harris, or he could do the opposite.
He might have influence to freeze the conflict; with him, it’s hard to tell.
A few months ago, it was definitely Harris, but now it’s unclear—there’s not much difference, to be honest.
They decide based on what benefits them and talk about various things, but when you're in charge, you make decisions based on your own needs, considering the wishes of those you’re working with. That's how it is.
I think we'll have to keep fighting with Harris for a long time, but that would be good for the country. Because both Trump and Musk are, frankly, Communists—even though Trump supposedly gets along with Vova Putler (not a fact), he might try to negotiate.
But let’s not forget about Budanov—half of the Air Assault Forces support him, and if necessary, we'll wage a guerrilla war. He could become a leader for our nation, and if needed, we can use force as well.
So, the answer is Budanov.
Annex
Questions
For pro-Trump supporters
Why Trump?
What’s your attitude toward the statement that Trump wants to sell out Ukraine to Putin?
What’s your attitude toward Biden at the beginning of the war and now?
Are you concerned that Trump often makes very contentious statements not just about Ukraine but in general?
How do you view potential peace talks and what’s you top priority during them?
Are you supportive of Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership?
Whom does your family support?
For pro-Harris supporters
Why Harris?
Are you concerned that Harris has not outlined any specific policies toward Ukraine?
What’s your attitude toward Biden at the beginning of the war and now?
How do you view potential peace talks and what’s you top priority during them?
Are you supportive of Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership?
Whom does your family support?
Ukraine deserves better. Budapest Memorandum wasn't honored. It should've been. Millions of lives could've been saved. And billions upon billions of dollars for those souls who care about such things. Putler's idle threats hold far more sway than they should.
I find interesting that for 2 pro-Trumpers, if I read it right, they don't believe he'll abandon Ukraine because there is no logic to it, but logic and common-sense in my opinion does not go hand-in-hand with Trump.
And don't take it from me, take it from people that worked with him, assuming he would be more "presidential" once in charge and noticed he didn't...