In yet another display of historical revisionism, Donald Trump Jr. recently met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade, where he took it upon himself to educate his followers on the history of Kosovo. Because, of course, when one thinks of Balkan geopolitics, the first expert that comes to mind is the son of a real estate mogul turned reality TV star turned U.S. president.
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| Donald Trump Jr and Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade |
But the real kicker? Trump Jr. went on to claim that NATO’s 1999 intervention in Serbia was not actually about stopping ethnic cleansing, war crimes, or the systematic expulsion of Albanians from Kosovo. No, according to his enlightened perspective, NATO bombed Serbia as a mere distraction from Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. That’s right—the alliance of democratic nations, deeply engaged in the aftermath of the Cold War, supposedly launched a military operation just to help a U.S. president deflect media attention from his personal scandals. Who knew international diplomacy worked like a tabloid magazine?“I know that there are two genders”
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2025
Common sense is alive and well in Serbia!!!
My recent interview with @predsednikrs pic.twitter.com/TgcpqWVmzq
For those who have even a passing familiarity with history, Kosovo was never a random “ethnic Albanian region within Serbia,” as Trump Jr. so casually put it. Kosovo has been predominantly populated by Albanians for centuries, long before Serbia’s nationalist ambitions led to genocidal policies in the late 1990s. The war in Kosovo was not some minor skirmish—it was a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by Slobodan Milošević’s regime, forcing over 800,000 Albanians to flee their homes. NATO’s intervention was not only justified but necessary, as it stopped the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe that Serbia had unleashed.
Now, here’s the ironic twist: if Trump Jr. truly believes that NATO was wrong to intervene in Kosovo, then what does he make of Russia’s annexation of Crimea? By his own logic, if a majority ethnic Russian population in Crimea justified Russian intervention, then surely a majority ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo justified NATO’s actions. But of course, intellectual consistency isn’t exactly a hallmark of the modern far-right.
Ultimately, Trump Jr.’s comments reveal not only a staggering ignorance of history but also a disturbing willingness to parrot Serbian nationalist talking points. Perhaps, next time he wants to delve into geopolitics, he should stick to what he knows best—posting hunting photos on Instagram and ranting about “woke” culture.
As for Kosovo, history will remember NATO’s intervention for what it was: a decisive stand against ethnic cleansing, not a footnote in a U.S. political scandal.