Trump Quotes Putin’s Critique Of ‘Rotten’ American Democracy In Speech Attacking Biden

In his latest attempt to depict President Joe Biden as an authoritarian, Donald Trump turned to the words of Vladimir Putin at a rally in Durham, New Hampshire. 

At the rally, Trump quoted Putin, “Even Vladimir Putin … says that Biden’s, and this is a quote, politically motivated persecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.” 

Trump also took pride in the praise he received from Viktor Orbán, the authoritarian prime minister of Hungary, who referred to Trump as the savior of the Western world.

Trump further mentioned his amicable relationship with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, and stated that Kim has a favorable view of him despite his disapproval of the current administration.

Throughout his tenure as president, Trump demonstrated a fondness for authoritarian leaders like Putin and Kim, often expressed admiration for them and even sided with Putin over his own intelligence agencies in regards to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump’s recent comment about being a dictator on his first day in office raised concerns, and his increasingly inflammatory rhetoric has led critics to draw comparisons between him and authoritarian leaders abroad. 

Trump currently faces legal cases in New York, Georgia and Washington, D.C., which include federal indictments related to mishandling classified documents and an alleged involvement in a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, which he lost to Biden. 

Despite these legal challenges, Trump maintains strong support and continues to lead his Republican primary challengers in polls. A recent Wall Street Journal poll even showed Trump with a 4% advantage over Biden nationally. 

The federal indictments against Trump resulted from investigations conducted by special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to independently handle investigations related to Trump. Despite accusations from conservatives, Garland has emphasized that Biden played no role in Trump’s indictments.

Still, Trump continued his relentless attack on Biden and the Democrats at the rally. He considered the indictments a badge of honor and attributed them to his dedication to his supporters.

In response, the Biden campaign criticized Trump’s rhetoric, “Tonight Donald Trump channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy,” Biden-Harris 2024 spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement.