… ran, half-witted, after Trotsky axed broadcaster (7)
I believe the answer is:
trotted
'ran' is the definition.
(trotting is a kind of running)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for trotted that I've seen before include "Scampered" , "Moved at fairly fast gait" , "moved at a fair pace" .)