As Russia continues to be mired in its invasion of Ukraine, which has not gone as planned, the Kremlin is reportedly looking to retaliate against the United States for levying crippling sanctions and galvanizing the West in support of Ukraine. However, Russia’s plan for revenge sounds awfully familiar, and stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Moscow wants to meddle in the 2024 presidential election by propping up Donald Trump.
Yup, we’re doing this again. Here’s what one of Vladimir Putin’s “pet pundits” recently said on Russian state TV. Via The Daily Beast:
“We’re trying to feel our way, figuring out the first steps. What can we do in 2023, 2024?,” Russian “Americanist” Malek Dudakov, a political scientist specializing in the U.S., said. He suggested that Russia’s interference in the upcoming elections is still in its early stages, and that more will be accomplished after the war is over and frosty relations between the U.S. and Russia start to warm up. “When things thaw out and the presidential race for 2024 is firmly on the agenda, there’ll be moments we can use,” he added. “The most banal approach I can think of is to invite Trump—before he announces he’s running for President—to some future summit in liberated Mariupol.”
Not only is Russian state TV getting behind Trump, and at the behest of the Kremlin in case you forgot how state TV works, Putin’s pundits have already picked out a new running mate for Trump: Tulsi Gabbard. The same Tulsi Gabbard who once threatened to sue Hillary Clinton for calling her a “Russian asset” but ultimately dropped the suit. Because Hillary was right? We’re definitely not saying that (in writing).
(Via The Daily Beast)