It is not surprising that Donald Trump admires Vladimir Putin. Putin is making Russia great again by rebuilding Russia as a world power following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin’s rebuilding process includes threatening Russia’s neighbors (Ukraine and the Baltic states) and meddling in the Middle East (Syria and Iran). And Putin has been very effective in silencing his critics, either by putting them in prison or having them killed. Putin and his oligarch friends are financially benefiting by Putin’s near dictatorial concentration of power.
Putin is Trump’s role model. Trump wants to have what Putin has: power, money, prestige. With a Republican Congress and conservative Supreme Court, Trump will be able to achieve all of these goals once he is in the White House. With Russian oligarchs financing Trump’s business empire (which is why we will never see Trump’s tax returns), Trump will be able to make deals that benefit them both. And if Trump has to bankrupt the U.S. Treasury to enrich himself and his friends and family then that is just the cost of doing business Trump-style.
Doug Beyerlein
Mill Creek
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