Notice the similarities?
Vladimir Putin wants to make Russia “great” again. Donald Trump wanted to make America “great” again. Some Russians say Vladimir Putin doesn’t lie. Some Republicans say Donald Trump doesn’t lie.
Russian diplomats and ministers insist that the atrocities in Ukraine were staged, that the victims are really actors, that we’re all being fooled, that it’s all a false flag operation. Republicans insist that the insurrection on January 6 was staged, that the perpetrators were really actors, that we were all being fooled, that it was all a false flag operation.
Russian diplomats and ministers and talking heads tell embarrassingly transparent lies for Putin because they fear him and fear what he can do to them. House Republicans and Senators and Fox News talking heads tell embarrassingly transparent lies for Donald Trump because they fear him and fear what he can do to them.
Vladimir Putin is a black-hearted bastard who cares about no one but himself, and is interested only in money and power. Donald Trump is a black-hearted bastard who cares about no one but himself, and is interested only in money and power.
Vladimir Putin is a murderer and a thief. Donald Trump is a murderer and a thief.
For years Vladimir Putin has been known to be a pathological liar, but these days he’s also known for telling his Big Lie, that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is nothing more than a “peacekeeping exercise.” For years Donald Trump has been known to be a pathological liar, but these days he’s also known for telling his Big Lie, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Vladimir Putin hates NATO and wants to destroy it. Donald Trump hated NATO and tried to destroy it.
Even though the war in Ukraine is going so terribly for him and is screwing up the planet and killing thousands of people, Vladimir Putin can’t back out now because preserving his ego is more important than anything or anyone else on earth. When it began to look like coronavirus was screwing up the planet and killing thousands of people, Donald Trump couldn’t change his mind about it without humiliating himself, and preserving his ego was more important than anything or anyone else on earth.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump were very similar. Maybe that’s why Donald Trump admires Putin. Maybe that’s why so many Republicans love them both. Who knows? And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.