There’s no evidence that the Kremlin has prepared talking points for Donald Trump to share with the American public. But if the former president were, hypothetically, receiving rhetorical scripts from Moscow, the Republican candidate would probably sound an awful lot like he sounds now.
The New York Times reported, for example, on the GOP nominee’s latest comments regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Former President Donald J. Trump blamed President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for Russia’s invasion of his country in a podcast interview released on Thursday, inverting the facts of the largest military action in Europe since the Second World War. … Mr. Trump, in a rambling, muddled answer on a conservative podcast, was criticizing President Biden’s leadership when he abruptly brought up his skepticism over the administration’s continued military aid to Ukraine.
“I think Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, repeating a familiar refrain. “Every time he comes in, we give him $100 billion. Who else got that kind of money in history? There’s never been. And that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him, because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start.”
Trump to Patrick Bet-David on Zelenskyy: "He should never have let that war start." pic.twitter.com/DXypWiljZB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 17, 2024
An analysis by The Washington Post explained, “Even in the context of Trump’s long-standing obsequiousness to Putin, it’s hard to understand how Zelensky would have prevented having his nation be invaded. He could, in theory, have taken the approach that many Trump allies have since endorsed: simply agreeing to cede some or all of Ukraine to Russia, a move that would have prevented the damage incurred to the country’s buildings but amplified the damage done to its sovereignty.”
Later, in the same podcast interview, Trump went from blaming Zelenskyy to saying he also blames his own country’s government, claiming that President Joe Biden helped “instigate” the conflict.
The only person Trump didn’t blame was Vladimir Putin — who, incidentally, is the one person responsible for the deadly and disastrous conflict.
The comments came just days after the former American president refused to say whether he’s had multiple, secret conversations with Putin since leaving the White House, though he added, “But I will tell you that if I did, it’s a smart thing.”
Which came on the heels of allegations that the former Republican president, while in office, secretly sent Covid-19 testing equipment to Putin at the height of the pandemic, even as people in his own country struggled to gain access to such resources. (While Trump denied the allegations, the Kremlin — to the extent that its statements have merit — said Trump did, in fact, send Covid tests to Moscow.)
Which came on the heels of Trump refusing to say whether he wants our Ukrainian allies to prevail in the war against Russia.
Which came on the heels of Trump denouncing U.S. efforts to combat Russian misinformation campaigns, going so far as to characterize Russia as a victim.
Which came on the heels of the GOP candidate talking up the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions against Russia.
Which came weeks after Trump publicly congratulated Russia over a historic prisoner swap. Which came on the heels of the Republican pointing to Putin for validation to justify his position on Ukraine. Which came on the heels of the former American president celebrating the fact that Putin was echoing his talking points about the 2024 election and Trump’s multiple criminal indictments. Which came on the heels of Trump telling a Mar-a-Lago audience how “smart” Putin was for invading a neighboring country. Which came on the heels of Trump describing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius” and part of a “wonderful” strategy. Which came on the heels of years’ worth of Trump kowtowing, genuflecting and repeatedly showing abject weakness toward his Russian ally. Is it any wonder why Moscow is reportedly going to considerable lengths to “shape the outcome” of the 2024 race “in favor of” Trump? This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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