There is shock and dismay on Russian state television, since Moscow’s true preferred candidate Donald Trump was no match for Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s debate. Now, Putin’s top propagandists are eating crow, having walked into a trap of their own creation, after weeks of dismissing Harris as a weak, feeble-minded contender.
In the run-up to this presidential debate, Russian state TV propagandists constantly predicted that the “charismatic” Trump—previously described as “our Donald”—would resoundingly defeat his opponent. They’ve consistently described Harris as a stupid, inexperienced newcomer, who simply cannot function without a teleprompter, even citing ridiculous conspiracy theories from the likes of Alex Jones to assert that the Vice President has a severe “performance anxiety” and would show up to the debate high on drugs.
The coverage of the U.S. presidential race on Russian state TV was jam packed with compilations of Harris laughing or select quotes they repeatedly claimed no one could understand. Many of their clips came straight from Fox News, in which various hosts roundly mocked Harris and praised Trump.
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On the night of the debate, this approach was still in use. During the broadcast of the show At Dawn on the Solovyov Live channel, immediately preceding the airing of the debate, host Kristina Busarova said that an “experienced politician” like Trump would most certainly steamroll Harris, describing the Vice President as “not smart and not savvy.” As she watched translated clips of the debate live on-air, Busarova looked deflated and confused.
Likewise, hosts and pundits on Russian state television struggled to explain the disparity between the way Kamala Harris was smeared in their relentlessly dismissive coverage, and the way she performed during the debate.
Vladimir Solovyov did not enjoy the debate anywhere near as much as he was expecting.
VestiUnable to effectively defend Trump’s dismal performance, Russian propagandists resorted to arguing that their favorite candidate was somehow “sabotaged” or “disadvantaged.” Notorious state TV host Vladimir Solovyov was appalled that moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump’s harebrained attempt to promote an unfounded conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are capturing and eating their neighbors’ pet cats and dogs. Solovyov exclaimed that Muir’s intervention was inappropriate, angrily asking, “Why would he do that? I thought he was supposed to be unbiased!”
Appearing on Solovyov’s morning show Full Contact, Russian state TV host Dimitri Simes, who served as Trump’s former adviser in his first presidential campaign and was recently indicted in the United States, was long-faced for many different reasons. He conceded that Harris outperformed Trump but complained about trivial issues that supposedly undermined the former president’s ability to dominate in this debate.
Simes recalled Trump’s insistence that Harris should not be allowed to stand on “boxes or artificial lifts,” which he described as an important chance for Donald to tower over a woman of a much smaller stature. The indicted state TV host complained that the difference in height was imperceptible in a split-screen, where both candidates were shown on the same level.
Despite their disappointment, Putin’s propagandists did find a bright spot for Moscow in the devastatingly disappointing debate. Trump’s refusal to say that he wants Ukraine to win in its battle against Russia’s invasion seemed to make them feel warm and fuzzy. Solovyov asked Simes to elaborate as to how Trump is planning to quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump’s former adviser said that the ex-president would simply tell Ukraine to concede to Putin’s demands, and cut off all U.S. aid if the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky refuses to do so.
On a show The Meeting Place the disparity between the way Harris was routinely portrayed by their media, as opposed to Tuesday’s performance, was also highlighted. Political scientist Gevorg Mirzayan said that the only thing Harris can be lauded for is for proving that she can indeed read and write and is not a “complete fool.” With notable irritation, host Ivan Trushkin pointed out, “Let’s not forget that it was you who constantly called her that.”
A panelist from the Russian International Affairs Council, Alexey Naumov said, “She [Kamala Harris] managed to lure Trump into every trap she set up for him... I wish I hadn’t watched that.” He added, “The goal before the candidates in this debate was to attract the undecided voters. What did Trump say? “I did not lose the 2020 election.” This is an unpopular position.” He also said, “Migrants are coming to our country and eating our pets.””
Naumov reiterated, “Your goal is to demonstrate your moderate position and attract undecided voters, and you say, “Illegals are devouring dogs.” This sounds like a premise from hell, it attracts no one to your side... That’s why Ms. Harris is the one who can drink champagne today.”
