The man Donald Trump appointed to serve as his U.S. Ambassador to Russia could barely stifle a laugh when asked about his former boss’ claim that he will resolve the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he’s re-elected. Jon Huntsman Jr., who served as Washington’s main representative in Moscow between 2017 and 2019, was asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday for his response to Trump’s assertion about being able to “solve this issue in just one day.”
“Well I would begin to laugh out loud but that might embarrass me in front of your viewers,” Huntsman said, suppressing a chuckle. “I just think that’s just nonsense.” He went on to argue that Russia is a “singularly unique state that is tailor-made and molded” to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “autocratic style” and could face “almost unimaginable” consequences if Putin were removed. “So for an American leader to say ‘I can fix this thing in a day’ is absolutely ridiculous and does not comport with reality whatsoever,” Huntsman said.
If my memory serves me correctly, Huntsman is known to be a moderate conservative. For example, Huntsman supports gay marriage.
I don’t think he is in good standing with right-wing conservatives. In 2009, the NY Times wrote about him: “Huntsman… made waves and headlines in recent months by suggesting that his party would need to move toward the center to start winning national elections again.
“With his support for President Obama’s economic stimulus plan… and his advocacy of civil unions to protect same-sex couples, Mr. Huntsman ignited a debate over what the Republican Party here should be. Now he has been chosen by [Obama] to be the next ambassador to China.”
And while I am not saying that Trump is correct and Huntsman is wrong with regards to Trump’s claim that he will resolve the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he’s re-elected, I AM saying that Huntsman is not your typical, right-wing conservative, so when he scoffs at Trump, it is, in esence, an extremely moderate conservative who is scoffing at Trump.