Donald Trump is reportedly feeling "shattered" after the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea "threw him to the curb," according to a former insider.

Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani whose conduct on behalf of the first Trump administration was at the heart of the president's impeachment for purportedly abusing his authority to benefit in the election, wrote an article on Friday called, "Another Deadline, Another Illusion: Trump’s Dictator Dreams Collapse" in which he argues, "Trump worships strongmen who mock him."

Calling on his experience as a Soviet-born operative sent to Ukraine by Giuliani to "dig up dirt on Biden," Parnas claims that the president is obsessed with dictators such as Putin.

"Well, here we are again, folks. Another two weeks, another deadline has passed—Donald Trump once more promising to be 'tough on Russia.' He threatened sanctions. He floated secondary tariffs. He postured like a strongman. But in reality, all Donald Trump is worried about right now has nothing to do with holding Putin accountable. It’s about his own obsession—his place in the world of dictators," Parnas wrote before highlighting a recent meeting between leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea.

"Because while Ukraine fights for survival and Europe steps forward, Trump sulks. Shattered, shunned, left standing outside the dictators’ club he so desperately wants to join. Putin brushes him off. Modi turns to China. Kim Jong-un toys with him. And the fanboy president is left begging for approval from men who laugh behind his back," Parnas wrote. "Trump has always seen himself as part of the dictators’ club. In his mind, Putin was his friend. Modi was his friend. Kim Jong-un was his friend. He bragged about it endlessly, believing their handshakes and photo ops meant loyalty."

But according to the former insider who was later convicted of campaign finance and fraud crimes, "those men never saw him as an equal."

"They saw him as a mark. Putin used him and discarded him. Modi shifted toward whoever gave India leverage. And now, with China pulling Moscow and Delhi closer into its orbit, Trump feels it slipping away," he added. "The dictators he idolizes don’t admire him—they mock him. He talks tough about 'negotiating,' but deep down, he’s a fanboy, desperate for their approval. And every time, he’s thrown to the curb."

Read the full post here.