When Donald Trump made a comment about being able to shoot someone on 5th Avenue and still had ravenous support, it turns out it was actually an understatement.
MAGA fans have decided that everything from insurrection to child sex trafficking is fine, as long as old Donnie does it. And, now, Trump’s sad little crush on despot Vladimir Putin has also trickled down from the toilet seat of his mouth into the rotted brains of his supporters.
MSNBC journalists interviewed a number of fans of the former Apprentice host at one of his rallies, and in a chilling yet predictable turn of events, they seem to be on the pro-Putin train, much like their smelly messiah.
When asked about Russian aggression, one interviewee was forthright in her apparent new love of Russia:
“I don’t have a problem with it. I really don’t. I have a problem with Ukraine. They’re corrupt…I think that people are just ridiculous…they think that Putin is…this enemy. He isn’t doing anything, he just wants back what was his.”
When the journalist asked her opinion on the thousands that had been killed thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she gave a very Republican Christian response, stating: “That’s fine with me.”
The journalist did not ask her if she felt that Native Americans massacring American citizens of European ancestry would also be reasonable, as by her logic that would simply be taking back what was theirs. With that said, intellectual consistency isn’t the strongest point of the brainless hordes who make up a large chunk of Trump’s base, so we doubt she’d have even noticed her own hypocrisy.
Many of these people also idolize famous Alzheimer’s patient Ronald Reagan, who built his entire international policy on being anti-Russian. The irony of this appears to be lost on most of them.
Putin’s justifications for the war in Ukraine depend heavily on the notion of a Russian World, or Russkiy Mir. The roots of this specific phrase hark back to the nineties, but the nationalistic and imperialistic notion has been strengthened by Putin in several ways. This includes the formation of a government-sponsored organization that was allegedly dedicated to spreading the Russian language and Russian culture worldwide but has in fact been used as a tool of cultural imperialism in neighboring countries. In 2022, the EU put sanctions on this organization.
Since Tucker Carlon’s softball interview/hazing session with Putin, the American Right has seen a lurch in pro-Russian sentiment. This has been aided by Trump’s constant sucking up to the Russian leader, who he seems to view as an inspiration.
MAGA fans have consistently shown a disdain for democracy and a terrifying bloodlust for those who disagree with their worldview. Thankfully, they’ve been too incompetent to do much about it so far, but if Trump wins in November, they might be empowered to engage in their own brand of political cleansing. If worst comes to worst, let’s hope by then they’re not so enamored with a literal murderous dictator, but given their long-standing reactions to Trump’s disgraceful actions and words, we’re not holding our breath.