Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Our next book is about the 2024 election. The consequences of that election are coming into view.
The incoming Trump administration fills Russian state TV propagandists with glee. In mid-November, when president-elect Donald Trump started to announce his future appointees, state TV host Olga Skabeeva gushed, “All of them are totally wonderful!”
Evgeny Popov, Skabeeva’s husband and the co-host of Russia’s 60 Minutes, concurred, describing Trump’s picks as his “radical dream team” and gleefully noting, “All of them personally despise Zelensky.” He cautiously added, “They aren’t friends of Russia, except for Tulsi Gabbard.”
For years, Gabbard’s propensity for spouting talking points that neatly aligned with the Kremlin’s agenda was seen as a boon for Moscow, with state TV host Vladimir Solovyov referring to the former congresswoman as “our girlfriend” and agreeing with pundits who described her as “Putin’s agent.”
Her planned appointment is not the only one that is being celebrated in Russia. Putin’s mouthpieces are even more excited about Trump’s choice of an FBI director—Kash Patel.
Patel, a lawyer and conspiracy theorist, served in roles at the National Security Council, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense during Trump’s previous term.
During Sunday’s broadcast of a state TV show The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov—a program that Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly watches on a regular basis—host Vladimir Solovyov rejoiced about Trump’s picks.
“What an excellent team is coming along with Trump! Not with respect to Ukraine, but as far as everything else goes. If they are allowed to get in, they will quickly dismantle America, brick by brick. They are so great!” he said.
After airing a clip of Patel threatening to upend the FBI’s operations, Solovyov continued, “Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, Kash Patel, is simply on fire... He’s tremendous! Really, really good.”
