Part of the issue with Trotsky is that he was so petty and resentful that it seemed to dictate everything he did after a certain point. I hold that he is probably the most significant single figure in the compatible left's history, which is to say he was an immense anti-communist actor in consequence. He had not half as much interest in building communism as he did in attacking Stalin specifically.

"No!" The doctrinaire Trot cries, "Haven't you heard of his theory on campism? We must be a third camp, neither the imperial core nor stalinism, and oppose both!"

Oh yeah? Go fuck yourself. When your boy was in Mexico and the US Government, which was prosecuting the heads of America's communist party, asked him to testify, he agreed.

Why? Was it to protect the leftist movement in America however he could? Or at all? No! It was to use the trial as a platform to denounce stalinism. You can see there that even in private correspondence with his "fellow" leftists in Latin America, not a single word is spared for helping the organization that is being beheaded or otherwise helping advance socialism in any way except for decrying stalinism.

This guy was an absolute crank in the end and the only bad thing about his assassination is that it didn't happen sooner.