Hillary Clinton called it. In hers and Donald Trump’s final presidential debate in 2016 she said Russian President Vladimir Putin would “rather have a puppet as president of the United States”. America didn’t listen.
She was right. A ventriloquist couldn’t wish for a better sidekick than Trump.
October 2007 to Larry King: “Look at Putin, what he’s doing with Russia. I mean, you know, what’s going on over there. I mean this guy has done — whether you like him or don’t like him — he’s doing a great job.”
December 2007 letter to Putin: “I am a big fan of yours!” (Underlined by hand.)
June 2013 tweet: “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?”
March 2014 tweet after Crimea annexation: “I believe Putin will continue to re-build the Russian Empire.”
December 2015 after faint praise from Putin: “It is always a great honour to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond.”
August 2016 to CNN: “He’s not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He’s not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down.” (Putin’s forces were already in Ukraine.)
July 2018 in Helsinki contradicting US intelligence that Russia interfered in the 2016 election: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.” Republican war hero and former presidential candidate senator John McCain declared this “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory”.
February 2022 after Putin invades Ukraine: “This is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful… How smart is that? And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper.” And this: “He’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart. He’s taking over a country — really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land with a lot of people, and just walking right in.”
This is a tiny sample of Trump’s bootlicking conduct. Dictators surround themselves with sycophants, but Trump has them beat. Trump is Putin’s No. 1 fan, bar none. There isn’t a single rival who Trump hasn’t mocked or insulted at some point, except one. Vlad.
Will Trump’s base care? No. They love Putin as much as Trump does. Putin has openly embraced white nationalism, Christianity, homophobia and loathing of foreigners. He has done to Russia what they want to do to America. He spews propaganda and rigs elections. He champions masculinity and might. They want all of that.
Saner Republicans might reconsider. War forces people to choose sides. The free world stands with Ukraine. Trump stands with Putin.
The choice could not be clearer.
Putin runs a kleptocracy where politics and economics mingle to protect and create billionaires. That is pretty much Trump’s vision and direction.
Don’t you just wonder what it is that Vlad’s got on Trump? ….
I dunno. I think Trump might have a crush on Vlad.
Built over a “mutual love of McDonalds”?
That would explain a lot of rumours about DT’s (both of them) sexual preferences.
The only thing which could make the current Russian invasion of the Ukraine worse would be having Trump as president of the USA telling the world what a genius Putin is whilst laying the groundwork for a Trump Tower and golf course ‘like you’ve never seen’ in Moscow.
All this makes me wonder just who Donald Trump is really in love with, Kim Jong-un or Vladimir Putin? Trump seems to be inclined to make amorous comments about both of these characters. Someone could get jealous!!
(And just under half of the voting population in America support this cretin. This world is in a very bad way.)
Trump sees Ukraine with the mentality of a property developer. Has he started selling red caps saying “Putin Making Russia Great Again”?