Donald Trump is basking within the supposed glow of current endorsements from two of the weirdest folks in politics—Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Chief amongst their causes for endorsing Trump: their anti-Ukraine sentiments and help for Vladimir Putin and Russia. It’s too unhealthy the American citizens has diametrically opposed views.
A recent College of Maryland Important Points Ballot by the agency SSRS exhibits that bipartisan public help for Ukraine stays robust. Requested about the place respondent sympathies lie within the present Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine was picked by 76% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans, and 57% of independents. Solely 4% of Republicans sided with Russia, which is a surprising end result given the prominence of pro-Russia right-wing personalities like Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, Alex Jones,and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
At greatest, these right-wing efforts to whitewash the Kremlin’s murderous invasion of Ukraine have created some confusion amongst their adherents; help for Ukraine needs to be at 100% and completely divorced from any partisan taint. Regardless of these efforts, a transparent majority of People (62%) help Ukraine in comparison with Russia (2%).
Moreover, 48% of People consider the U.S. ought to help Ukraine “as long as it takes,” together with 63% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans—the highest share recorded on this monitoring ballot. In June and October 2023, the general quantity was 43% and 45%, respectively, that means help for Ukraine has grown. And the most important progress demographic? Republicans, who went from 29% to the present 37%. The get together’s personal pro-Putin propaganda efforts are failing.
But Republicans nominated a ticket with views effectively exterior of the American mainstream on the subject of Ukraine. Trump has promised to lower off assist to Ukraine if elected, and his working mate JD Vance has lengthy been half of the pro-Russia crowd within the Senate.
With Kennedy and Gabbard now on board, Trump has additional surrounded himself with a few of the fiercest Putin defenders in American politics. Kennedy likes to repeat Kremlin propaganda, and Hillary Clinton was proper about Gabbard again in 2019 when she mentioned, “She’s the favorite of the Russians.”
They agree:
Most People don’t vote primarily based on overseas coverage, and the Russia-Ukraine Battle isn’t any totally different. However the nation’s usually pro-Ukraine sentiment does create an unflattering narrative for Trump as a candidate—one which ostensibly seeks to “make America great again” but cozies as much as a few of the worst folks on the planet.
One of many overarching Trump narratives is that he desires to be a dictator, modeled after his despotic heroes. Surrounding himself with Putin lovers isn’t a technique to refute that as he locations himself even additional exterior of the American mainstream.
