Are Trump & The GOP Pro Putin?

The left claims that Trump and the GOP support Putin:

  • “Trump sides with Putin as Biden tries to stop a war” -CNN Headline

  • “Trump, Other Top Conservatives Rally to Putin's side as he threatens Ukraine.” -Business Insider Headline

  • “People on the right in this country are on Putin's side… it's a parallel to the insurrection.” -ABC's The View

But, Republicans have repeatedly condemned Putin's recent invasion:

  • "The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling; it's an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur” -Former President Donald J. Trump, CPAC 2022

  • GOP leaders, including Sen. Lindsay Graham, Sen. Cruz, and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, have called for immediate action against Russia

  • Tucker Carlson also condemned the Russian leader. “I don't think anybody approves of what Putin did…,” he said. “I certainly don't.”

Looking at Democrat's track record against Russia:

  • Bill Clinton facilitated the nuclear disarmament of Ukraine, leaving Ukrainians heavily susceptible to Russian attacks

  • Obama openly promised more flexibility to negotiate with Russia after his re-election.

  • Obama sold 20% of the US uranium production to Russia in 2013

  • Obama accepted Russia's annex of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014

  • In 2014, Obama refused to include weapons in an aid package for Ukraine during the Crimean crisis

  • Biden (along with Democrats) lobbied against sanctioning Russian gas pipelines. Biden then waived the sanctions.

Looking at Republican's track record against Russia:

  • During his administration, Trump has threatened Putin if he moved against Ukraine and is said to have said he would “hit Moscow.”

  • Trump's administration sanctioned Russia 52 times, enacting harsher policies against Russia than Obama's administration

  • Under Trump's administration, Russia avoided risky geopolitical moves

  • The Trump administration approved lethal weapons sales to Ukraine years after Obama rejected it

  • The Trump administration pushed heavy sanctions on Russia's gas pipeline

Big picture: Despite the media's claims, the GOP & Trump were tougher on Russia than their counterparts. The current wave of defamation serves to smear political enemies like Trump and tie them to Russia, the “enemy.”