Donald Trump - our man

How the American president is perceived by Russian public opinion

We will talk about Trump as a character in Russian public opinion. In this capacity, he survived (by the moment) four phases. The first, the most interesting - on the eve of his election for the first term. The second is the beginning of his first presidency. The third is again the eve of the second cadence. The fourth is the one that has begun with its inauguration and is still stretching.

So, the first phase. End of 2016; After the annexation of Crimea, Russia is in a state of euphoria, and it seems to do not give a damn about the actual moral blockade. The whole world is against us, they are enemies to us. They condemn us; Well, if the enemy condemns you, this is the best proof that you are right.

But in America, in the most important nest of enemies, some man with familiar features appears. It doesn’t look like all their presidents at all ... He is simple, like us, he respects power, as we ... in short, when he will become the main one, he will sit down with ours, grind like a man with a man, he will forgive us everything.

And then we will divide the world in half, Europe and half asia-to us, the rest. There is no one to quarrel with anyone and there is no need. Imagine what life will go - the universal world forever! And after America, everyone else also recognize us again, again friendship and all that. And no one else is attached to us with criticism that something is wrong with us. We live in our opinion, and that’s it. (Polls showed that Russians - from the point of view of the interests of Russia - of course, prefer Trump, and Biden is bad or very bad.)

The described feelings addressed to Trump was experienced not only by ordinary citizens, but also by elites, departments. The feelings of the elite say that the glasses with champagne were raised in the Duma when they learned about his victory. Some unknown people arranged a not very hidden cyberatak against the Democrats. We suspected some of our departments. Of course, we denied us. But in any case, this made it possible to give him understand - you see, we were for you!

And here is a bummer ... The second phase. Trump went to the presidency, but none of the expected from him followed. It turns out that he is not so ours, and most importantly, not so he has a master there. Their Congress knit his hands, but he cannot in response. And I forgot about us, they did not give us any relief.

It is important to note here that the words about their system of checks and counterweights, especially about American democracy, have heard many, but very few thought that it showed herself. Some simply thought that Trump really wanted the best, but in America, it is known, they did not like us, and now they broke him off. Others were simply disappointed in him, decided that it was he who was sinking before the elections. In general, he threw us.

Then there was an important point. He does not pull the whole phase, but as the moment he attracted the attention of our public. It was the assault on the Capitol, arranged by Trump's supporters. This is our way! Showed power, this is the main thing.

The third phase came at the end of 2024, when he again went to the president. Like last time, surveys showed that, according to Russians, President Trump is much better for us than President Kamala Harris. There were almost no previous time that the previous time was to divide the world into yours and ours. But they, in fact, were expressed in the so -called The ultimatum of Putin, directed in the USA and NATO at the end of 2021. They, as you know, were ignored, which probably prompted the Russian leadership to start his own.

By this time, already in Russia they began to call a forbidden word and at least half of the Russians had already told our interviews that although they approve of Putin’s activities and support the actions of our Armed Forces, they would still want the parties to move on to peaceful negotiations. At this time, Trump appeared again. He promised that he would end the war at 24 hours. No one knew how he would do this, but, mixing rumors with guesses (they say, he is a supporter of power measures), some built a version that he would threaten Putin because they would bomb something very important in the trash ...

Those who would like Trump's words to act on Putin, and he would really stop (together with the other side) of his, probably was enough.

As you know,

Trump did not come out with all the terms that he appointed to complete the armed conflict or at least a ceasefire. Gradually, it became clear that if he was ready to threaten, then not to Russia, but to Ukraine, and not with a weapon, but, on the contrary, the lack of supplies of one.

And then something that no one expected came out. Trump actually took the side of the Russian Federation in a conflict with Ukraine (or with the whole West, as we think). He spoke to Ukraine in unison with Russia - agree to the world on the terms of Russia, otherwise it will be worse. And besides, he declared “my friend” to the whole world, and Zelensky, who is hated in Russia, publicly humiliated. In Russia, of course, they did not believe that he was just like that “friend”, but from the position of enemy No. 1 they transferred America somewhere lower, so far it is not yet known where. (England was put in her place, they are now the main "Anglo -Saxons.")

These lines are written in the middle of the next period set by Trump for the “end”. The fact that he can introduce some economic sanctions there, Russians believe why not. But they will definitely not believe that they will affect Russia, its president and commander in chief. Some believe, others are not-that it will give Ukraine some kind of super-powerful missiles. But the fact that these missiles will change the entire course of the conflict do not believe.

The image of Trump in the eyes of the Russian public has changed a lot. He is no longer "our man." They continue to be considered a strong figure, but he, as it turned out, is not a politician. He is a businessman. Moreover, exactly the way Soviet propaganda painted the American capitalist. For him, there is nothing but money. He will hand over any friend and make friends with any enemy, if necessary for business. He is cunning, but Putin is more cunning. He is strong, but Putin is stronger. He is a bargain, and Putin is a politician.

He confirmed that he believes in force, and not in the law. For many, very many Russians who themselves see the world and its rules so, this is additional reinforcement of what they read from the hints of their president when he says: "And they beat the weak."

Political scientists call Trump ultra -right for his positions regarding migrants, gender themes, etc. Russian inhabitants do not see themselves with either left or right, but on these issues they are quite solid with him.

The Russians looked at Trump's public face and realized that it was familiar to them. After all, Zhirinovsky introduced into our (then only our) political everyday life the replacement and irresponsibility, impudence in the formulas, violation of norms,

Which were considered mandatory for a politician, especially a policy in senior positions.

We first picked up this style on TV, then higher, up to the former president. But they all work for the internal Russian audience. And Trump transferred this to the stage of world politics. His contribution will not disappear, somewhere there will be followers and those who go further than he, along this path. For the world in which several wars are already going on, it is very bad.

The fourth phase is not finished. And he will give us a lot. In the meantime, this is what. Ordinary Russians do not need Trump to learn swearing and rudeness. But he presented other lessons to them. If, in his first term, his authoritarian impulses were curbed in Congress and other institutions of American statehood, then in the second time he did not meet any obstacles to his escapades in six months.

The Russians were shown once again: wealth and power rule the world, and they have no need to hide for some words about rights, about freedoms, about democracy. And if they were not shown from somewhere, but from America itself, then this is exactly the case.