Not for the first time, there are mixed messages emanating from the Kremlin. The Russian president said he supports Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, while the Kremlin’s extensive propaganda machine is apparently very much behind Donald Trump.
In comments at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Sept. 5, Vladimir Putin praised Harris's "infectious" laugh, adding it "means that everything is fine with her."
"Trump has imposed as many sanctions on Russia as any president has ever imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from such actions," he said.
"(Joe) Biden recommended all his supporters support Ms. Harris. Here, we are going to do that too, we're going to support her," he added.
Putin's comments, delivered with a wry smile, are at odds with multiple reports and intelligence assessments that have concluded Russia's propaganda machine has backed Trump since the 2016 U.S. presidential election and is working to help him get reelected this fall.
"I think he's joking," John Foreman CBE, the U.K.'s former defense attache in Moscow from 2019 to 2022, told the Kyiv Independent.
While the intention behind Putin's words and their delivery were obvious to some, they appeared to be lost on others — not least, Trump himself. Judging by his evolving comments over two days, Trump seems to have taken Putin's remarks seriously. "I don’t know exactly what to say about that. I don’t know if I’m insulted or he did me a favor?" he told a crowd in New York on Sept. 6.
A day later he'd hardened his position, telling a rally in Wisconsin that he was "very offended."
"I knew Putin. I knew him well. I don’t know if you saw the other day, he endorsed Kamala," he said. "He endorsed Kamala. I was very offended by that."
Several prominent commentators also appeared to take the comments at face value. U.S. actor James Wood, a fiercely pro-Trump personality with more than 4 million followers on X, posted a clip of the video, saying Putin had endorsed Harris and was "barely able to hide his glee at the prospect."
Another pro-Trump account with 285,000 followers claimed the clip showed that "If you vote for Kamala Harris, you are voting in support of Vladimir Putin."
While Trump and his supporters appear upset over Putin's comments, there's ample evidence that despite the Russian president's outward remarks, the Kremlin would actually much prefer him in the White House over Harris.
The prospect of Trump's reelection is causing concern in Ukraine as signals from his close circle indicate he might seek to pressure Kyiv toward ceding territory and other concessions to achieve peace.
The worries only grew after the ex-president picked JD Vance, a Senator from Ohio who is a vocal critic of the Ukraine aid, as a running mate.
"Given the political realities of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine it seems to make a lot more sense that Trump would benefit Putin's future goals in the conflict, as well as undermine America's effort to respond to Russian aggression, both overt and covert," Eliot Higgins, founder of the investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Putin's endorsement is more likely just an attempt to cause drama than a reflection of his actual opinions."
For a better understanding of the Kremlin's hopes for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, a more accurate picture can be gleaned from looking at Russia's state propaganda operations.
Citing a senior U.S. intelligence official, Reuters reported on Sept. 6 that Russian state media channel RT "has built and used networks of U.S. and other Western personalities to create and disseminate Russia-friendly narratives."
"These actors, among others, are supporting Moscow's efforts to influence voter preferences in favor of the former president (Trump) and diminish the prospects of the vice president (Harris)."
More details of this influence campaign were revealed when the U.S. Treasury Department designated 10 individuals and two entities as part of a Russian-coordinated propaganda campaign, nicknamed "Doppelganger."
The Justice Department said the campaign included funding an unnamed Tennessee-based company, which the U.S. media identified as Tenet Media, an outlet hosting prominent right-wing, pro-Trump commentators like Benny Johnson and Tim Pool.
Russia has previously been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms, and other means to back Trump against his Democratic opponents — Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden — during the 2016 and 2020 elections.
U.S. intelligence officials said they "have not observed a shift in Russia's preferences for the presidential race from past elections."
Kollen Post
