Guests on Russian state TV mocked Donald Trump‘s reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin smirkingly saying that he was endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
The remarks were made by state TV host Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most prominent figures in Kremlin-backed media, and Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-controlled media organization RT. An excerpt of the state TV broadcast was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Julia Davis, the founder of the Russia Media Monitor watchdog group, on Sunday.
Meanwhile in Russia: head of RT Margarita Simonyan told Vladimir Solovyov she will never admit to what RT is doing in the United States — except to Vladimir Putin. She admitted RT is running covert projects in the West & following orders from the Kremlin.https://t.co/3CDgZOyNJn
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 9, 2024
Days earlier, Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that he supports Harris over Trump in November’s presidential election, joking about her “infectious” laugh as a reason to prefer her over the former U.S. president.
Putin spoke with a wry smile just hours after the Biden administration accused Moscow of a widespread, sophisticated election interference campaign on Wednesday.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Putin is hoping for Trump to take the White House in November, given his skepticism over U.S. funding of Ukraine’s war machine.
On Saturday, Trump told a rally in Wisconsin that he was “very offended” by Putin’s comments.
“I knew Putin. I knew him well. And you know, he endorsed, I don’t know if you saw the other day, he endorsed Kamala. He endorsed Kamala. I was very offended by that,” Trump said.
“I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. Now, he’s a chess player. Should I be upset about that? Was it done with a smile? I think it was done maybe with a smile. Who the hell knows,” he continued.
Russian state TV broadcast a clip of Trump’s rally comments.
“In the U.S., they think we care about the elections. Idiots, we care about your civil war! May you, political dirtbags, kill one another!” said Solovyov. “You are so pathetic and laughable. Honestly speaking, I was a bit disheartened, unless Trump is joking, I was saddened by Trump’s reaction.”
“Was he offended?” asked Simonyan.
“Yes, he was offended,” Solovyov responded.
Simonyan added: “Oh, sweetie!”
Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov attends the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 6, 2024. Guests on Russian state TV mocked Donald Trump’s reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin smirkingly saying that he endorses Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden withdrew from the race in July.
“I told you our favorite, if you can call it that, was President Biden. He’s now out of the race, but he asked his supporters to back Ms. Harris, so we’ll do the same,” Putin said at the economic forum on September 5.
“The choice is ultimately up to the American people, and we will respect that decision. Favorites aren’t for us to decide—it’s the American people’s choice,” he added.
U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on September 5 that Putin “ought to stop talking about our elections, period.”
“He shouldn’t be favoring anybody one way or another. The only people who should get to determine who the next president of the United States is is the American people. And we would greatly appreciate it if Mr. Putin would a) stop talking about our election and b) stop interfering in it,” Kirby added.
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