The indictment of Donald Trump has set off a wave of mockery worldwide—even from his biggest fans in Russia. There appeared to be little compassion from Moscow’s state media mouthpieces for the former U.S. president, who is widely considered a disappointment, having failed to deliver on everything Moscow had anticipated.
At the same time, some Russian propagandists are still rooting for Trump, encouraged by recent statements that he was willing to allow Russia to absorb certain portions of Ukraine in the past, and in the future, he intends to stop military assistance to the country defending itself from Putin’s war of aggression.
During Friday’s broadcast of 60 Minutes, an AI-generated image of Trump in court donning an orange outfit was broadcast while panelists excitedly discussed the spectacle his arrest would cause. On Sunday, host Vladimir Solovyov and the panelists of Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov wondered out loud if the former U.S. president would be elected in 2024 and joked about Trump sitting in the Oval Office sporting orange coveralls and handcuffs. Or maybe, Solovyov said, he would end up seeking asylum in Russia.
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“Should we afford the opportunity for Donald Trump to escape the unfair political persecution in Russia?” Solovyov asked. He then joked that “Donald Fredovych” could be given an apartment in Rostov-on-Don, formerly occupied by the disgraced former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. Andrey Sidorov, deputy dean of world politics at Moscow State University, bitterly noted, “First, one has to earn the spot in Rostov-on-Don... I am quite disappointed with Donald. He disappointed me back on January 6, 2021.” The Kremlin’s talking heads have long lamented that Trump had failed to trigger civil war in the United States.
Still, some of Putin’s propagandists believe that the prosecution will only boost Trump’s chances in the 2024 presidential elections. Solovyov relished the idea of Tucker Carlson portraying poor Trump as a victim, who was first dealt “a stolen election” and was later attacked by the Biden administration to impact his candidacy in the future. “I can write the talking points [for Tucker],” Solovyov offered.
Sidorov and Solovyov agreed that, by stating Florida would not extradite Trump, Ron DeSantis—known on Russian TV as “No. 2”—may have secured himself a spot as the potential vice president. Sidorov said that by portraying himself as a victim of unjust persecution, Trump is a shoo-in for the next presidential elections, “unless the United States falls apart before then.” Head of RT Margarita Simonyan chimed in: “That would be so great!” to which Sidorov replied, “Margarita, I’ve been counting on it for a long time, but I also understand that the United States is a strong nation—for now.” Days earlier on Solovyov’s show, Sidorov said that he had high hopes for Trump as “a destroyer of America.”
“Deep civilizational divide”
Sergey Mardan, the host of Solovyov Live, described the situation in the U.S. as a slow-simmering civil war. Dmitry Mikheyev, who formerly served as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute but later returned to Russia, told the host that Trump is a beacon of conservative values who is being persecuted for his beliefs, against a backdrop featuring Trump behind bars and a scantily clad Stormy Daniels. Mikheyev described a “deep civilizational divide” brewing in America on the basis of race, religion, and politics—with Trump’s arrest exacerbating the situation. “This is a serious conflict that is almost of a religious nature. And we’re certainly glad! If everything is bad in America,” Mardan said, “It will impact us, but the enemy has to be destroyed!”
During Tuesday’s broadcast of 60 Minutes, multiple AI-generated images of Trump in prison flashed on the jumbotron, followed by a series of clips from Fox News that bemoaned the alleged injustice of Trump’s prosecution. Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of Russia’s Defense Committee, suggested that “poor, poor Trump” may have somehow been tricked or set up by Democrats into his dalliance with Daniels.
Sergei Markov, a former adviser to Putin, said that the oversized, fuchsia-colored tie he was donning was worn in solidarity with “our Trump,” describing him as “the most popular political leader in America.”
“Trump may soon be outfitted in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffed,” co-host Olga Skabeeva said, apparently unbothered by Trump’s legal troubles. “We’re getting lots of popcorn and waiting!”
