🔥 Trump Confronts Zelensky: Tucson Radio Host Unpacks White House Meeting and Local Tax Controversy | Wake Up Live

City's proposed sales tax increase faces criticism from across political spectrum as Mayor Romero invokes Trump to defend regressive revenue measure

Mar 04, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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🌍 Today on a Tucson radio show called "Wake Up Live," the host 🎙️ Chris DeSimone and his guest 🙏 Brother Joe talked about some big arguments happening around the world and in our city. They discussed how the President of Ukraine 🇺🇦 met with former President Trump 🇺🇸, and it didn't go very well because they disagreed about how to end the war with Russia 🇷🇺.

Chris also explained how Tucson wants to raise taxes 💰, which some people think will hurt families 👨‍👩‍👧 who don't have much money. The most interesting part was when they talked about how Americans 🇺🇸 buy lots of things made in China 🇨🇳 even though China doesn't treat its workers well 😔, but we get mad at Russia for similar problems. The show helps people in Tucson understand complicated issues that affect their lives and money 💵.

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🗝️ Takeaways

🕊️ Trump appears to be pursuing a ceasefire and peace deal in Ukraine through mineral rights agreements and American presence, while Zelensky reportedly resisted these efforts during their White House meeting.
💰 Proposition 414, Tucson's proposed sales tax increase to 9.2%, is facing criticism from both conservatives and progressives who argue it disproportionately hurts poor residents while mainly funding police.
🌍 Professor Jeffrey Sachs presented evidence that NATO's eastward expansion since 1994, despite promises not to do so, contributed significantly to Russian security concerns and the current conflict.
🇨🇳 America's economic dependence on Chinese manufacturing creates a double standard where we criticize Russian human rights abuses while overlooking similar or worse abuses in China.
🔍 According to the Common Sense Institute report shared on the show, Tucson's economic growth has consistently lagged behind Phoenix, Arizona state averages, and national figures since 2001.
🏠 Unsheltered homelessness rates in Pima County are approximately 35% higher than in Maricopa County, challenging city officials' narratives about effective homeless policies.

Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone: From Ukraine Drama to Tucson's Tax Tussle

Good morning, desert dwellers! Another scorching Monday edition of "Wake Up with Christopher DeSimone" on the Live the Dream Media Network has delivered its signature blend of hot takes on everything from international intrigue to our city's contentious tax proposals.

As someone who's spent countless mornings with my coffee and Chris's commentary, I can tell you this episode was particularly spicy—especially when "Brother Joe" joined the conversation in the third hour, bringing his unique spiritual-meets-political perspective to the airwaves.

Today's Talking Points: From Global Conflicts to Local Coffers

The show wandered through the geopolitical wilderness before settling into our own backyard's fiscal fracas. Chris began by examining the Ukraine-Russia situation through an academic lens, then pivoted to Proposition 414—a tax proposal that has Tucson's progressives and traditionalists alike reaching for their calculators and their blood pressure medication.

Nothing says "Happy Monday" quite like dissecting international conflicts before my second cup of coffee...

Ukraine-Russia: The Professor's Perspective

Chris kicked things off by playing a detailed clip from Columbia University's Professor Jeffrey Sachs presenting to the EU about NATO expansion and Russian concerns. It was essentially a historical "receipts" moment for those who believe the Ukraine conflict didn't materialize from thin air in 2022.

According to Sachs, the Ukraine-Russia situation is a chess game that began when the Soviet Union's final piece fell in 1991. Despite promises that NATO would not expand "one inch eastward," the subsequent decades saw exactly that—with Russia growing increasingly agitated with each move toward its borders.

His timeline painted a picture of escalating tensions:

1994: President Clinton signed off on NATO eastward enlargement (apparently forgetting that whole "not one inch" thing)
1999: Hungary, Poland, and Czech Republic joined NATO (Russia grumbled but tolerated it)
2004: Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Slovakia joined (Russia's patience wearing thin)
2007: Putin essentially said "enough already" (spoiler alert: we didn't listen)
2008: The U.S. pushed for Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO (essentially knocking on Russia's front door)
2010-2014: Installation of missile systems in Poland and Romania; overthrow of Ukrainian president Yanukovych who had campaigned on neutrality

"The idea was to keep NATO—and what is NATO? It's the United States—off of Russia's border. No more, no less," Sachs explained in the clip.

Hmm, seems like this story has a few more chapters than the "Putin woke up one day feeling imperial" narrative we're usually served...

Sachs went on to claim that Russia primarily wanted neutrality from Ukraine rather than territory, and that early 2022 peace negotiations were derailed by U.S. influence—with catastrophic human consequences.

"Since the U.S. talked the negotiators away from the table, about a million Ukrainians have died or been severely wounded," Sachs concluded in his presentation.

Chris seemed to appreciate this perspective, noting, "I thought it was worth a listen," before acknowledging the complexities: "I don't want anyone to mistake that somehow I don't think Vladimir Putin's a bastard. Vladimir Putin's a bastard."

The Oval Office Showdown: Trump vs. Zelensky

The real fireworks began when Chris shared reactions to the recent White House meeting between President Trump, VP J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Zelensky—a meeting that apparently had all the warmth of a rattlesnake in a freezer.

CNN contributor Scott Jennings summed up what many were thinking: "All [Zelensky] had to do was walk in there and say, 'Thank you. I'm really grateful to be here. We want to be partners with the United States. We're grateful for your leadership. Where's the papers? And what are we having for lunch?' That's all he had to do."

Diplomatic genius or oversimplification? You decide!

When Brother Joe joined in the third hour, he could barely contain his enthusiasm for Trump's approach:

"I'll tell you what, I didn't see it. I was driving home... and I had Fox News on my XM satellite radio. And it started coming, and I was like, 'Oh my goodness, could this be?' 'Cause at first, I thought it was almost like a skit," Brother Joe recounted, audibly giddy about the confrontation.

"Go Trump, go tell him what you think," he continued. "I mean, Chris, we've been talking about this whole charade, Ukrainian charade for the last four years!"

The conversation further heated up when they played a clip from Tulsi Gabbard criticizing Zelensky's leadership:

"Zelensky's presidential term ended on May 20th. He canceled elections in the name of martial law, suspending Ukraine's constitution so that he could stay in power," Gabbard pointed out in the clip before drawing parallels to potential domestic threats to democracy.

Brother Joe didn't hold back in his assessment: "He's the ultimate bag man. He's a frontman. He has no thought, he has no charisma, he has no business being the president of Ukraine, but somebody threw him out there, and he does what he's told to do."

Wait, wasn't Zelensky the hero in this story just a year ago? The narrative whiplash is giving me vertigo...

Chris tried to maintain some balance, noting, "I have corrupt Ukrainian leadership and corrupt Russian leadership," before Brother Joe interjected with his view that Trump understands the true dynamics at play: "Trump doesn't get bogged down in trying to understand Russian history for the last thousand years... The bottom line is people are dying."

Prop 414: The Tax that Divided Tucson's Left

The second hour delivered a local focus on Proposition 414, Tucson's proposed sales tax increase that has managed to create strange bedfellows in opposition. Chris played clips from a forum hosted by "Democrats of Greater Tucson" where April Putnam argued against the tax proposal, facing Mayor Regina Romero and Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz.

Putnam, described by Chris as "one of those Democrats socialists" who probably "has a Bernie Sanders onesie someplace," nevertheless made points that resonated with Chris's own perspective:

"This regressive tax will definitely hurt the poor the most," Putnam argued in the clip. "And that is one of our main concerns—if it will hurt the poor the most, most of the tax budget should go to programs and services that help support people."

She went on to critique the allocation: "Around 50% of this budget will directly support policing, which is not necessarily something that helps keep the most poor and marginalized people in our communities safe."

A progressive and a conservative agreeing that a tax is bad? Now I've seen everything...

Chris couldn't help but nod along: "April is coming out saying, just like I'm saying, that a regressive sales tax and having a total effective sales tax of 9.2 continues to crush the poor... I mean, the lack of compassion by the city council is just amazing."

The mayor's response, according to Chris, relied heavily on invoking external threats: "Everything's buzzwords. Now she needs the tax because it's Trump. Trump is going to screw us. And then she'll bring up the Republican state legislature."

In a moment that seemed to particularly delight Chris, he shared how the moderator had to intervene when Mayor Romero appeared to try connecting Putnam to Republican figures:

"The guy said, 'Look, you're talking about Jim Click and Turning Point. They're not even here, and you're trying to make somehow a connection to the no position that April's doing.' And then Romero is such a three-year-old that she literally accuses the guy from the Greater Tucson moderator of defending Jim Click and Turning Point. This is how immature this woman is."

Classic political move—when you can't address the critique, attack the critic's imaginary friends!

The China Conundrum: Consumerism's Dirty Secret

The show concluded with a fascinating exploration of why America treats Russia differently than China despite both having problematic human rights records. Brother Joe posed the question: "Why have we demonized Putin and not demonized the president of China, Xi? Who's a proclaimed communist?"

Chris's answer cut to the heart of American consumer culture: "It's about consumerism, Joe."

What followed was a sobering discussion about America's economic dependence on Chinese manufacturing:

"The American consumer buys almost nothing from Russia. They have nothing we want," Chris explained. "China... there's stuff in this room that's from China. Everyone who's enslaved to their iPhone—China."

Brother Joe didn't hold back: "This country is addicted to the dirty Chinese money that infiltrates and corrupts us. And that's part of the swamp."

Chris painted a vivid picture of American hypocrisy: "All of these black activists who say, 'We want reparations for slavery.' Okay. So what you're telling me, all of you slave reparations folks, is you're buying nothing that's made in China? Because there's a 97% chance that an actual slave made your product."

He extended the critique to recent protesters: "Look at all these old liberal jackasses that were protesting in front of the Tesla dealership... All of your lives, you are living on slave labor from China. I would bet that 60% of the clothing that you wore at the Tesla was made by slaves."

Ouch. That's the kind of uncomfortable truth that doesn't fit neatly into either political box...

Brother Joe wrapped up the discussion with a surprising turn toward religious analysis: "They don't like Russia because it's a Christian country, in my opinion. It is a 90% Christian country. And they don't like that. They want the pluralism."

Food for Thought

As I sit here digesting this smorgasbord of local and global perspectives, I'm left pondering:

How much of our consumer lifestyle depends on looking the other way from global injustice? Would we be willing to pay double for that toaster if it meant it wasn't made with exploitative labor?
When it comes to Prop 414, how can Tucsonans get beyond the political theater to understand what this tax would actually mean for our community—especially our most vulnerable neighbors?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Controversial/Informative Quotes

"Since the U.S. talked the negotiators away from the table, about a million Ukrainians have died or been severely wounded." — Professor Jeffrey Sachs, during his presentation to the EU about the Ukraine-Russia conflict, suggesting U.S. influence prevented early peace negotiations.
"He's the ultimate bag man. He's a frontman. He has no thought, he has no charisma, he has no business being the president of Ukraine, but somebody threw him out there. He does what he's told to do." — Brother Joe, characterizing Ukrainian President Zelensky as a puppet figure.
"Around 50% of this budget will directly support policing, which is not necessarily something that helps keep the poorest and marginalized people in our communities safe." — April Putnam, arguing against Prop 414's budget allocation during the Democrats of Greater Tucson forum.
"All of these black activists who say, 'We want reparations for slavery.' Okay. So what you're telling me, all of you slave reparations folks, is you're buying nothing that's made in China? Because there's a 97% chance that an actual slave made your product." — Chris DeSimone, highlighting what he sees as hypocrisy in American consumer culture.
"They don't like Russia because it's a Christian country, in my opinion. It is a 90% Christian country. And they don't like that. They want the pluralism." — Brother Joe, offering a religious interpretation of Western attitudes toward Russia versus China.

People Mentioned and Memorable Quotes

Christopher DeSimone: Host of "Wake Up with Christopher DeSimone" on the Live the Dream Media Network. "I don't want anyone to mistake that somehow I don't think Vladimir Putin's a bastard. Vladimir Putin's a bastard."
Brother Joe: Regular guest on the show, apparently with interests in spirituality, politics, and horse racing. "If we didn't have billions of dollars for gender transformation and left-wing think tanks, we wouldn't have all that debt."
Jeffrey Sachs: Columbia University economics professor who presented on NATO expansion and the Ukraine conflict. "The idea was to keep NATO—and what is NATO? It's the United States—off of Russia's border. No more, no less."
President Donald Trump: Former and future U.S. President who recently met with Ukrainian President Zelensky. According to Chris, he told Zelensky, "You don't have the cards, you don't have the cards, you got no cards!"
President Volodymyr Zelensky: Ukrainian President. Scott Jennings said of him: "The question for Zelensky is, can you take off the military uniform and put on the uniform of diplomacy? He failed the test today."
J.D. Vance: Vice President under Trump. Described as confronting Zelensky directly about Ukraine's "propaganda."
Tulsi Gabbard: Former presidential candidate and current U.S. Director of National Intelligence. "Zelensky's presidential term ended on May 20th. He canceled elections in the name of martial law, suspending Ukraine's constitution so that he could stay in power."
Regina Romero: Mayor of Tucson. Chris described her reaction during a debate: "And then Romero is such a three-year-old, she literally accuses the guy from the Greater Tucson moderator of defending Jim Click and Turning Point."
Lane Santa Cruz: Tucson City Councilmember who joined Mayor Romero in defending Prop 414.
April Putnam: Described as a progressive Democrat opposing Prop 414. "This regressive tax will definitely hurt the poor the most."
Scott Jennings: CNN commentator who suggested Zelensky misplayed his White House visit. "All [Zelensky] had to do was walk in there and say, 'Thank you...Where's the papers? And what are we having for lunch?' That's all he had to do."

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