President Donald Trump unleashed a series of late-night posts on Truth Social on Wednesday, August 20, and early Thursday, August 21, targeting multiple subjects, including mail-in voting, MSNBC, and California Governor Gavin Newsom in what sources described as a wild social media spree.
The president’s digital outburst came amid mounting frustrations over stalled Ukraine peace negotiations and criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s interest rate policies. Trump’s posts attacked various targets while expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of diplomatic efforts.
During this period, Trump also addressed Ukraine’s military strategy, suggesting the country should take a more aggressive approach against Russian forces. In a Thursday post, he criticized former President Joe Biden’s approach to the conflict, claiming Biden prevented Ukraine from fighting back effectively. Trump indicated that winning a war without attacking an invader’s country is nearly impossible, comparing it to a sports team with strong defense but no offensive capability.
The social media activity coincided with significant developments in the Ukraine conflict. Russian forces launched a major drone and missile attack on western Ukraine overnight Wednesday, striking targets including an American-owned electronics plant. The assault was one of Russia’s biggest attacks of the year and came as Moscow objected to key aspects of peace proposals.
Trump expressed particular displeasure about the Russian strike on the Flex factory in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, which caused injuries to at least 19 employees. The attack on American property occurred just as diplomatic efforts were attempting to gain momentum following Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.
The president’s frustration with the peace process became evident in his statements about the negotiations’ timeline. Trump indicated he would know within two weeks whether a deal could be reached, suggesting he might need to take a different approach if progress stalls. He expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, noting he was not happy with anything related to the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump continued his criticism of Federal Reserve policies during this same period. The president pressured Powell to lower interest rates, arguing that high rates were hurting the housing industry and preventing families from obtaining mortgages. Trump’s posts characterized Powell as damaging to economic recovery and blamed him for stalling the housing market.
Economic experts noted that Trump’s push for lower rates could benefit both consumers and the federal government’s debt obligations. Professor Joao Gomes of the Wharton Business School indicated that reducing interest rates would significantly improve the government’s budget picture, as the nation currently faces a $37 trillion debt burden with monthly interest payments exceeding $60 billion.
The president wrote: “Could somebody please inform Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell that he is hurting the housing industry, very badly?” His posts suggested that families were suffering because of high interest rates, while also noting that the country itself was paying higher rates than necessary.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to the diplomatic developments by downplaying prospects for a near-term summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lavrov indicated that any meeting between the leaders could only occur after all major peace agreement components were thoroughly worked out by experts and ministers, conditions that appeared to make immediate progress unlikely.
The diplomatic challenges were further complicated by Russia’s insistence on having a role in any post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. Lavrov rejected European-led security discussions as futile, while Ukrainian officials accused Russia of deliberately stalling negotiations to allow military forces to capture additional territory.
Trump’s late-night posting spree reflected broader tensions in his administration’s foreign policy approach. While he has invested significant energy in peace efforts, including high-profile meetings with both Putin and Zelensky, the underlying realities of the conflict have shown little change. Russia continues launching attacks on Ukrainian civilians while erecting new diplomatic roadblocks to quick peace negotiations.
The president’s social media activity also targeted domestic political opponents, including attacks on MSNBC and ongoing criticism of mail-in voting procedures. His posts about California Governor Newsom appeared to respond to the governor’s social media activities that Trump perceived as mockery.
