Trump just sang Putin's praises for all the world to hear, and trashed Biden in the same breath. The Republican party has shown time and time again that loyalty to Trump outweighs yesterday's strongly held convictions. Loyalty to Trump has replaced loyalty to the nation in many Republican hearts -- pols and voters alike. Whatever poll you got that 5% number from, it's outdated in light of Trump's latest opinions.
He didn't sing Putin's praises, he pointed out that Putin's methods are, to quote, "savvy". War is confusing and Trump may turn out to be wrong but so far Russia seems to have come up with a plan then executed the plan. While facing no organised opposition. It does look like a well organised operation.
In short, it is entirely possible that Trump is correct. The political discourse can't keep shutting down in emergencies, there are too many emergencies these days for that to be an option. People have to talk calmly about what they think is happening.
Have you not been paying attention to how Trump talks about tyrants? His love letters with Kim Jong Un? Endorsements of Viktor Orban and Bolsonaro? He's a "big fan" of Erdogan? For years now, he's been positively gushing about how much he admires Putin. He tried his damnedest to pull a coup last year, because he wants to join the league of tyrannical dictators. And sure, he badmouthed Biden and insisted that things would be different if he was at the helm, but has he ever shown real opposition to any actions of Putin? Or did he deliberately soften eastern Europe's defensive stance against Russia when he pulled American troops out of Germany?
He pulled troops from Germany (which is not the front anymore) and put troops in Poland and other eastern countries. How is this a move to help Putin? He moved troops on the front and started more bases.
Exercises and bases in all Eastern Europe intensified under Trump.
He likes to talk nicely about people that he's going to strike. Like he always says he likes Xi, but then start a trade war anyway.
He blocked NS2, Biden opened it in his first week in office.
If Trump was so weak toward Putin, Putin would have invaded with Trump in the White House...but Putin invaded with Biden there(and previously woth Obama). Makes you think, doesn't it?
I'm sure some people are mistaken and think Trump himself is anti-vaccine, but most people (that I am aware of) that put some measure of responsibility on him do so not because of his specific stance on it, but for his part in the flywheel that created the current political climate.
He has been closely in bed with the sections of media that have pushed the narrative, generally celebrated paranoia towards experts, and consistently pushed the idea that you can't trust the government. If you lose control of the bolder you helped push onto the slope, it doesn't mean that you don't have responsibility in pushing it to begin with.
He has given credence to the vaccine-autism link early in the 2016 debates and in tweets.
He was also instrumental in pushing early treatments that didn't pan out as hoped. These often became the subject of conspiracy theories about a whole slew of medical professionals avoiding real treatment, and the pandemic being some authoritarian plot. Trump was there sowing doubt in medical professionals. He may have encouraged vaccination itself, but his actions on the whole produced distrust so that there is a pronounced deficit of vaccination in his electorate.
I'm more of an optimist. I think Putin just proved the need for Nato and how dangerous he is. Trumps support of him might be the thing that brings down Trumpism.
putin is not entirely to be blamed for the decline, but the signs of covert manipulations is all there. The very election of trump, and his poor foreign policies, are all smoking guns.
American institutions have only themselves to blame for the decline. People like Putin are taking advantage of the weakness but American politicians could behave more reasonably anytime but instead they are consciously choosing to make it worse. It’s all home made by the “greatest country in the world”. No need to blame anybody else.
When I came to the US in 2000 I already saw how insane US politics was. Political ads had no connection to any kind of reality and were basically purely attack and distortion. And since then it got only worse.
