The right launders its support for Putin through the Hungarian autocrat
These are awkward days for Putin fans of various ideological stripes. As scenes of Russian atrocities flash across televisions, it’s increasingly awkward for many of the political and media figures who had lavished praise on the genius, patriotism, and savvy of Vladimir Putin.
This, for example, has not aged well:
“I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with them,” [Donald] Trump told O’Reilly.
O’Reilly pressed on, declaring to the president that “Putin is a killer.”
Unfazed, Trump didn’t back away, but rather compared Putin’s reputation for extrajudicial killings with the United States’.
“There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers,” Trump said. “Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
When Putin launched his invasion, Trump was still gushing:
“Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. ‘I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. … We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.”
Trump went on to rhapsodize about his relationship with Putin — “He liked me. I liked him.” — and to praise him as someone with a lot of “charm and a lot of pride” who “loves his country.”
But that was thousands of war crimes ago. Burned and mangled bodies.
Dead children. Bombed homes. Cruelty and savagery that has horrified the world.
Long gone are the days when a smiling Tucker Carlson could casually declare on Fox News: “Why do I care what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I’m serious. Why shouldn’t I root for Russia? Which by the way I am.”
Even Tulsi Gabbard, who like Carlson has become a fixture of Russian propaganda, seems to be backing away from her overt Putin fandom.
It turns out that rationalizing atrocities can be bad for your brand, so now much of the pro-Russian right has shifted from pro-Putin to anti-anti-Putin.
https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/cpac-goes-full-orban?s=r