The U.S. has again started talking about Russia’s attempt to tamper with the American election. This time the reason was Vladimir Putin’s joke about Russia’s ‘support’ of Kamala Harris after Joe Biden’s recommendation. The American media are once again writing about ‘Moscow’s getting its hands’, while Trump commented that the Russian leader’s statement had left him confused. Experts believe it is easy to explain the American response to the words of Russia’s president.
Vladimir Putin’s joke about ‘the support’ for Kamala Harris at the U.S. election left Donald Trump confused. ‘I don’t know exactly what to say about that. I don’t understand if I’m insulted or he did me a favour’, said the Republican candidate. Against this backdrop, the White House itself recommended that Russia ‘stop interfering in U.S. elections’.
The American press also paid attention to the words of the Russian president. CNN reports that in such a way he ‘is simply stirring the pot of US domestic politics’ using ‘a kind of endorsement poisonous to its recipient’. At the same time, Associated Press reports that the U.S. intelligence is still, allegedly, receiving data on Moscow’s support of Donald Trump.
Earlier Vladimir Putin made a joke about ‘supporting’ Kamala Harris at the U.S. election. In his speech at the EEF plenary session, he reminded that that Joe Biden had been the ‘favourite’ for a long time. ‘But he was removed from the race, and he recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris’, he clarified.
He also called another reason why Russia endorses her candidacy. ‘She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that she is doing well. Take Trump – no other President has ever imposed so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia. But if everything is so great for Ms Harris, maybe she would refrain from acting this way?’ – Putin remarked, ironically.
‘A sense of humour goes with intelligence. Even more, our President never lacked irony’, explains Senator Konstantin Dolgov. He believes that American politicians have weltered in internal intrigues so deeply they cannot recognize common wit. ‘In such a situation one can just take pity on them, the speaker added. – And after Putin’s words we will look at the way Harris laughs somewhat differently’.
Moscow does not interfere in elections in other countries, the MP noted. ‘In U.S. voting turned into a dirty anti-democratic procedure. It seems to me no one needs to interfere in these processes, as American public servants have carried those to absurdity themselves’, Dolgov clarified.
On that note, he recalled falsification accusations from Biden’s office in 2020. ‘This became a mark of shame on the face of the States’ quasi-democracy. Now Washington is trying to shift the blame to external factors, that is why we hear accusations against Russia’, the senator noted.
It does not really matter much who will be the next U.S. president, the speaker believes. ‘Our countries had issues in their relationships both with Trump and with Biden. However, the current administration turned out to be the weakest and the most predictable in the context of the anti-Russian policy it has pursued. Being part of this policy, Harris might further it’, Dolgov assumed.
In the meanwhile, the leader of the British Heritage Party David Kurten called Putin’s words ‘top trolling’ in his social posts. Dmitry Drobnitsky, an expert on America, has a similar opinion. ‘Vladimir Putin has once again ‘trolled’ the American establishment, to put this in youth language’, said the expert. ‘But both the White House administration and the leaders of the Democrats and the Republicans have lost the entire ability to respond to any jokes with humour. While looking back, Ronald Reagan stood out with his pernicious remarks’, he reminded. ‘I mean I would advise the Americans to re-read a collection of his best one-liners. Because humour in politics is essential for building a charismatic and strong leader’s image. Unfortunately, there are issues with that’, the speaker believes. ‘The reason is poor education. Donald Trump was the only one who could understand Vladimir Putin’s ironic remark. He even tried to reply with a joke. I believe it was not the best one, but the intention itself is welcoming. At least, it is better than showing endless confusion’, the expert explains.
‘One way or another, Putin’s light-hearted joke caused real fear in the White House. They fear what comes tomorrow, the uncertainty in the American politics. That’s why they oppose any comments about elections. Also, the Russian president seems no to have the intention to hurt the American administration’, he adds.
‘His statement was not aimed at Washington. In fact, no one asked U.S. to respond to this largely unexpected joke. But I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will do so anyway. Most probably, they will once again tell how wrong it is to interfere in American elections and try to exploit the worn-down hoax of ‘Moscow’s hand’ trying to meddle with the voting’, Drobnitsky believes.
The expert on America Malek Dudakov reminded that the hysteria of Russia’s alleged intervention in the American elections has restarted in the States. ‘There have been accusations against Russia Today and some bloggers who, according to the American Department of Justice, worked with the TV channel’, he clarified.
‘This hysteria is mainly fuelled by the Democratic Party, the speaker added. – With this, it was fun to look at its representatives’ reaction to Vladimir Putin’s words about the would-be support for Kamala Harris. They had to make excuses, some were left confused’. However, Trump got confused himself, too.
‘Both camps are blaming each other of having overseas connections right now. The Dems claim the Republicans have contacts with Russia, Saudi Arabia and personally with Benjamin Netanyahu, while the Republicans speak of the Dems’ ties with China’, the expert specified.
Dudakov noted that Putin’s words caused ‘a cognitive dissonance’ among a good share of political elites. ‘At the same time, the White House is accusing Russia of tampering with the American elections again. But the truth is they, apparently, will have to admit this is taking place on the side of the Dems and the incumbent administration’, the expert ironized.
Dudakov called the situation emerging in U.S. ‘tragicomic’: ‘the American society weltered in another panic spy fever looking for Russian, Chinese or some else’s influence’.