Trump Buddies Up to Putin

Imagine what Republicans would say if a Democrat had invited the Russian president to interfere in a U.S. election.

By Jim Hightower

Here is Trump daughter Ivanka, his key campaign advisor, learning about
foreign affairs by going on vacation with Vladimir Putin's girlfriend Wendi
Deng Murdoch in Dubronik, Croatia. Ivanka posted this photo on
Instagram just a couple of days ago. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: the Trump campaign has also been charged with illegally soliciting campaign donations from foreign nationals, including members of foreign governments. CLICK HERE for latest details.

Please, people — stop denigrating Donald Trump as a foreign policy ignoramus.

After all, he’s a global real estate tycoon with special insights into U.S. adversaries, like Vladimir Putin of Russia. “I got to know him very well,” The Donald has assured us voters. 

Only, it turns out, by “very well” he meant “not at all.” He later conceded that he’s never actually, you know, met Putin.

Still, Trump says he’s taken measure of the authoritarian Russian president from his corporate perch atop Trump Tower, concluding admiringly that Putin is “a lot stronger than our leader.”

Sure, if by stronger he means violently suppressing any opposition, stealing billions of dollars from the public for himself and his chosen oligarchs, or invading neighboring Ukraine.

Picky-picky-picky, says Donnie, who’s so enamored with Putin he publicly pleaded with the foreign strongman to hack into Hillary Clinton’s computers in order to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

“Russia,” Trump called out during a July press conference, “if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” No need for Putin to outmaneuver the United States when clueless Donald would willingly surrender our people’s democratic sovereignty to him.

Amazingly, while top Republican officials say they’re horrified by Trump’s twisted and traitorous invitation to Putin, they still say he should be president, shrugging it off as Donald being Donald. Imagine their scathing derision if the Democrats had invited Putin to intervene.

It’s time for people to stop writing off Trump’s dangerous shallowness as “entertaining.” After all, “Bumbling Bumpkin for President” wouldn’t even make a good TV show.

OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s the editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown. OtherWords.org.