Trump And Putin: A Dangerous Duo
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It’s no secret that Donald Trump has a strange and longstanding obsession with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Ever since he first ran for President, Trump has lavished the Russian dictator with praise, encouraged the pursuit of Putin-friendly policies in the White House and pursued policies that undermine U.S. interests and the interest of our allies while supporting Russia’s.
Trump’s treatment of Putin goes well beyond simple admiration. In many ways, Trump and Putin are mirror images of one another, especially when it comes to their work to suppress democracy, amplify dangerous propaganda and undermine the world order the United States has spent decades building for its own benefit. Let’s take a look at Trump and Putin’s startling similarities – and why they pose a danger to America’s national security.
Trump has always admired Putin – so much so that he has consistently sided with the Russian dictator over our closest allies, and even our own intelligence agencies.
Trump has repeatedly sided with Putin over his own government and some of the United States’ closest allies. In 2018, at their infamous Helsinki press conference, Trump took Putin at his word, rejecting the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
While serving in the Oval Office, Trump revealed extremely sensitive classified information to Russian officials.
Trump consistently attacks or undermines European leaders, no doubt pleasing Putin in the process. Trump shares an alarming distrust and dislike of America’s most important security partnerships, which Putin has been working for decades to undermine. Trump has blamed NATO for Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, refused to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to NATO’s mutual defense pact, and repeatedly discussed withdrawing from the alliance. Trump even invited Putin to attack our NATO allies – saying that the Russians could “do whatever the hell they want” with them.
Even before launching his first campaign for president in 2015, Donald Trump was obsessed with Vladimir Putin – hosting beauty pageants in Moscow and boasting about his close relationship with the Russian leader. He has longstanding business ties in Russia, some of which could help resolve his $400 million in personal debt. Trump also has well-established relationships with some of Russia’s wealthiest, most corrupt oligarchs, who have been essential to his efforts to enrich himself.
Trump wants to be just like his “good friend” Putin – following his lead in attacking democracy, stacking government with yes-men, and tearing down the norms that have safeguarded our democracy for decades.
Trump and Putin have both disputed or tried to overturn elections in their respective countries; suggested or actively used state violence against their opposition; and installed loyalists and yes-men to do their bidding. Both men are also known for purging government officials who they view as insufficiently loyal.
In an attempt to lift up his like-minded opponent of global democracy, Putin worked actively to support Donald Trump in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections.
Trump has never been able to stand up to Putin – and won’t start now. Throughout his first term, Trump’s response was to deny, to deflect, and – most humiliatingly – to remain silent, even when American lives are at stake.
During Trump’s first term, American troops and Russian mercenaries clashed in Syria, exchanging fire in a deadly confrontation that put U.S. lives at risk. In a separate incident, Russian forces injured seven American service members by running them off the road – and later widely circulated video of the incident on social media. Neither of these incidents solicited a response from Trump, let alone consequences for Putin, who enabled this dangerous behavior.
Trump ordered that military support for Ukraine be frozen until they announced a fabricated investigation into President Biden’s family ahead of the 2020 election. Trump’s withholding of aid threatened to undermine Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against the invading Russian army.
When asked why he hadn’t publicly called on Putin to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was being unjustly detained in Russia, Trump explained “I guess because I have so many other things I’m working on.” The Biden-Harris Administration successfully negotiated the release of Gershovich and various other wrongfully detained individuals from Russia.
As a candidate in 2024, Trump’s behavior didn’t inspire hope for a sudden change of heart. He proposed a “peace plan” that would force Ukraine to cede large chunks of territory to end the war – rather than holding the dictator accountable for his illegal and unjustified invasion and war crimes. He suggested that public servants in America’s government were its greatest threat – indicating that he would likely dedicate most of his attention to tearing down American democracy, rather than standing up to Putin. And Trump steadfastly refused to condemn Putin’s visit to North Korea, where he pledged to support Kim Jong Un in a conflict with the United States.
Especially today, as Putin is leading an illegal war in Ukraine and working tirelessly to undermine the U.S.-led world order, Trump and Putin’s “close relationship” is dangerous for America.
Trump tried for months to kill a bipartisan deal to supply Ukraine with the arms they need to defend themselves – allowing the Russian army to make critical advances against democratic Ukraine. Worse yet, he has promised to “not give a penny” to Ukraine when he is sworn in as president, and has pledged to give Putin what he wants by forcing Ukraine to give its territory to Putin.
America’s biggest adversaries – Russia and China – wanted Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential election because they believe they will benefit from Trump’s leadership. Putin in particular believes that Trump represents a threat to America’s standing as the world’s lone superpower – a dangerous recipe for the autocrat so desperately focused on tearing down the U.S.-led world order.
Published: June 2024
Updated: November 2024